I took a walk down to the river yesterday and stopped at one of my favorite handmade wooden benches in front of a little waterfall. I sat and titled a notebook page "Good Things in 2018." In the few minutes of reflection I got in before my fingers lost their nimbleness to the cold, I …
Category: Reflections
A desk of my own
I don't think I've ever not eaten because my seating options were limited. And yet, I spent months at a time not writing because I needed somewhere to write.
I get by with a little help from haiku
Why reorganize,
categorize, file old, when
there's new to create?
On a scale of 1-10, where do childbirth and wartime amputations fit in?
I ask not because I'm in the market for either, but because I always have trouble with the "rate your pain on a scale of one to ten" question from doctors. No matter how much pain I'm in, I never think it could possibly be a ten. Isn't childbirth astronomically more painful than anything I …
Continue reading On a scale of 1-10, where do childbirth and wartime amputations fit in?
Lieutenant Pumpkin MIA
I haven't seen my little one in over three days, and I'm starting to lose it (depending on who you ask, that might be an optimistic assessment). She ran out through the new doggy door before the dogs even figured out how to use it, and she hasn't come back yet. She's never left for more …
It’s a beautiful day to get rid of some crap
But isn't every day, really? I've been trying not to accumulate too many things for the last several years, but sometimes a giant Pikachu and a collection of stilettos I'll never wear again just pop up in my closet. Something to do with gravity and the lunar cycle I think. The desire to pare down my …
Continue reading It’s a beautiful day to get rid of some crap
Worth the work, even on Labor Day
Alright, I suppose none of the work occurred on Labor Day, but Boyfriend Josh and I spent the weekend hiking over 20 miles on the Appalachian Trail, which was the most work I've ever done near a holiday. Although I think I slept more our first night back home than the previous two on the trail combined, …
I really meant to, but I lost my personality
Well, part of it. I have one personality. I know the Kayleigh who introduces herself with a confident smile at parties is the same Kayleigh who struggles to breathe in crowded restaurants. The average, everyday version is generally on top of her shit, but also avoids crowds and interacting with lots of strangers, especially with this [hopefully-temporary] beer-free …
Continue reading I really meant to, but I lost my personality
I may have lost my job, but I’ve caught some cool Pokémon
I was laid off in June, and although there's never really a good time to lose your job, summer isn't bad time for it. I had just moved back to the East Coast from Chicago two weeks before and was actually in the middle of vacation when I got my immediate termination notice, but that's neither here …
Continue reading I may have lost my job, but I’ve caught some cool Pokémon
I don’t do resolutions, but if I did
2016 is my year of working more than hoping. I'll drink to that.
My latest excuses for not blogging
In yet another attempt to make blogging a more regular habit, I will outline the regular habits that have all come before blogging for the last month. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right? So here are the top five activities and habits that most frequently come before blogging in order of how hard …
The question I didn’t know pool toys were the answer to
"Even when everything's going your way, you can still be sad. Or Anxious. Or uncomfortably numb. Because you can't always control your brain or your emotions even when things are perfect." Jenny Lawson in her new book, Furiously Happy My brain decided it was about time to remind me of this truth last week, even though I had …
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So I’m back, and here’s why
I started Wandering Aloud almost two years ago for many of the same reasons I have returned now. Put simply, learning, reading, and writing are what fulfill me. Especially now that I've caught up on all the episodes of Bob's Burgers. When I first started blogging, I found none of these things in my work …
Back in the saddle!
After months of silence my fingers are itching to get their keystrokes back out there, and my inner rhymes are begging to be released. So much has happened and is happening and will happen, and Wandering Aloud is going to stay true to its name. It's time to get movin. These things happened: Some of my favourite …
The Substitute
Check out my essay on Vox Populi, a forum for discussion of contemporary events and politics! We would really like to hear from everyone who has a thought, theory, or experience related to today’s youth, especially if you have suggestions for improvements to the social and educational spheres we bring them up in!
I am not a teacher. I haven’t taken a single class on education, let alone made it through the testing and observation required to be a public school teacher. I am an underemployed BA-clutching young woman who paid the bills working as a substitute teacher in Pittsburgh when I couldn’t take another day at my call center job.
People who spend enough time with children can attest to our young’s ability to brighten a rainy day, to say something that makes you laugh out loud every time you remember it, to give you hope for the future. This isn’t about those moments.
Every day as a substitute teacher was an exercise in overcoming my aversion to things like crowds, loud noises, and disrespect. I can proudly say that I have not hidden in a bathroom between classes since my first day teaching in the city, but the way students as…
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Algebra, Oprah, and my latest bathroom epiphany
Considering that today was April Fool’s Day, my first day of substitute teaching in the city could have been bad. Like lube on the doorknob, plastic wrap on the toilet, and “Kick me, I’m a substitute” sign bad. But it wasn’t. Thankfully, April Fool’s didn’t seem to be a prime holiday for these kids. Or …
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Thank you, Facebook targeted ads, for reminding me of my place in the world
I've used Facebook for over eight years now, and never once have I expressed a desire to feed, bathe, or play with a baby, real or virtual. I didn't even like playing "house" or "dolls" or "toys" when I was a kid (I was too busy reading The Encyclopedia of the Dog and A Series of …
Continue reading Thank you, Facebook targeted ads, for reminding me of my place in the world
I can’t talk right now because…
I currently work at an outbound call center for an education company. My coworkers and I are rarely welcome callers. We know that. We accept that. But those few people at the other end of the phone who do want to talk to us help make this job less miserable. This post is not about …
Sometimes I prefer the ringing
I work at an outbound call center where our purpose is to talk to people and transfer them to a client. Obviously, I can't meet my goals if no one answers their phones, but here are some of the times when I am hoping you don't pick up: 1) I can't figure out a single way to pronounce your name 2) I …
The what-am-I-doing-here post
"Start a blog" has occupied a medium-to-high priority spot on my to-do list for several months now. It has been waiting, ever so patiently, for that spark of inspiration that would catapult it off of the to-do list and into the realm of digital existence. Thankfully, patience has never been a strength of mine, and …
