She's My People: On Dolly and the Dreams That Don't Give Up
I am from East Tennessee. Which means Dolly Parton is not just an icon to me — she is my people. I grew up going to Dollywood. I have followed her story my whole life. And when Hurricane Helene flooded my hometown, she showed up. This is what she has taught me about roots, dreams, and the light of a clear blue morning.
What If the Good Thing Happens
I am an Enneagram 6. Which means I have thought about every possible way this could go wrong. Not occasionally — constantly, reflexively, before the idea has even fully formed. Running Anam Cara Clay Goods has made me see my 6ness more keenly than almost anything else in my life. And then a friend asked me a question I wasn't ready for: but what if the good thing happens instead?
The Things We Reach For
A fellow jewelry maker shared a concept with me recently called transitional object theory — the idea that humans instinctively reach for physical objects to feel held and grounded. I heard it and immediately thought about earrings. About the specific pairs we reach for on hard days. About why those pairs matter. And about a muted green scraps pair I made one evening that turned out to be more meaningful than I knew.