Does Revenge Work? — How a gun and a parade helped me see the truth about forgiveness
I looked down at the passenger seat. The black handgun I had stolen from my father’s sock drawer stared back at me. I had driven to the location where the gas station attendant had molested me 10 years before. At 17, I knew no other way to heal, so I decided to
Grandma, why aren’t you going to heaven? — How religious ideology had me condemning my enlightened grandmother
“Grandma, why aren’t you going to heaven?” I was 11 at the time, and was sitting on the front porch of Grandmother’s small trailer watching the people and cars go by. The smell of lilac and tea rose perfume wafted over from her. White permanented hair glinted in the sunlight. Perfect Oregon summer days demand divine
My Horrible, Rotten, No Good, Very Bad Day — How to deal with anxiety, stress, and waking up on the wrong side of the universe
The other day, I woke up on the wrong side of the universe. It seemed like everything that could go wrong was going wrong—as if some hateful prick found a Coyote Voodoo Doll and stuck 100 pins in it…. A letter from the IRS. A pipe springs a leak. A good friend goes into the
Is ‘Happily Ever After’ a Myth?
“Meet my other half, Susan.” The couple had just entered the room to work with me on spicing up their relationship. “You mean your other whole?” I quipped back. So often, I find that partners who struggle with intimacy, communication, ruts and discord are basing their relationship on stories that simply do not work in