The 10 of Swords from Tarot of the Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein The title of this essay comes from Annie Kotowicz’s short and sweet memoir, What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic. Consider this a set of CliffNotes to my experience of neurodivergence and related subjects. In each section, I will share the […]
What I mean when I say…
August 16, 2025 | ADHD, ASC, autism, DysAuDHD, dyscalculia, dyslexia, education, life, mental health, mindfulness, neurodivergence, pain, Uncategorized | Permalink
Neurotypical Failure
July 15, 2025 | ADHD, ASC, autism, DysAuDHD, dyscalculia, dyslexia, education, health, life, mental health, neurodivergence, pain, school, selfcare, Uncategorized | Permalink
The Moon from Mystical Moments Tarot by Catrin Welz-Stein For most of my life, I’ve felt like a failure. A rather fair-to-middling one, I grant you—I did have loads of privilege and a cussed determination to fall back on—but a failure nonetheless. Let’s get right to it. I started struggling—and failing—young. My entire academic life […]
Be like Becky.
June 29, 2025 | life, mental health, mindfulness, selfcare, Uncategorized | Permalink
I admire this human endlessly. I marvel at her regularly. She was a rare and brilliant gem. Today is Becky’s birthday, and boy, do I miss her. I miss her warmth, her charm, her talent, her goofiness… I even miss the feeling of being so much less—less charming, less impressive, less popular, all of it—than […]
Upon 51
June 10, 2025 | life, mental health, mindfulness, selfcare | Permalink
Kiddo and I had an archery lesson. I managed a few bullseyes. The rest were hers. Today is my 51st birthday. If I ever have moments of doubt about how well loved I am, all I need to do is remember how, each year on June 10th, the tiny computer in my pocket practically explodes […]
On Losing a Mother
June 5, 2025 | Alzheimer's, caregiving, dementia, life, mental health, mindfulness, pain, parenting, selfcare | Permalink
Writings from April to June, 2025 [Nine of Swords from Tarot of Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein] My mom died six months ago, right before Christmas of 2024. And I have a confession. But first, allow me to state a few things before I share my admission. I want and need to, so you have […]
It’s Been a Long Fucking While.
January 12, 2025 | Alzheimer's, caregiving, dementia, life, mental health, selfcare, Uncategorized | Permalink
My mom died a month ago. I have everything and nothing to share about this. I am not even sure what kind of post I want or need this to be. About her? About me? I am left living with only one of those things, so here we go. As most of you know, I’ve […]
Sad face. Covid-19 style.
March 14, 2020 | caregiving, health, life, mental health, parenting | Permalink
In the days leading up to the covid-19 social isolation, I felt a distinct thrill like you might on the eve of a snow day or the moment the lights go out and you have to find the candles, but as I face this first full day, I just have to say that I am […]
The Hardest Part
March 13, 2020 | caregiving, life, mental health, patriarchy | Permalink
When I decided to move home to be the full-time caregiver for my family, I expected the hardest part would be to manage my mom’s ever-increasing dementia. Of course, this would be hard. The world tells you how hard this will be and I had few illusions. I also wondered if being a for-real stay […]
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