I have lived in a small town for the better part of my adult life. There are so many pluses to living in a small community and as you might imagine there are also some downsides. Variety, for instance, in terms of places to buy the basics of life boils down to Wal-Mart.

I get personally rolled back (as they say about prices at Wal-Mart) almost every time I need to buy sugar, coffee, or TP. Continue reading →

When I disappeared off the map, she was persistent about getting in contact with me even though I didn’t know her well. She wanted to know what had happened. “You made it all look so easy, Annie.” I heard shock and a smidge of disappointment in her voice.

It struck me as sort of funny that she thought it was all so easy and reminded me that most of us have our own hard we’re living each day even when it looks easy to those who don’t know us well…maybe even to those who do know us well. “Be kind. Everyone is fighting a hard battle,” a saying often spoken in my home growing up comes to mind.

Disappearing off the map invites some interesting and legitimate questions from those who have known you as an active community member, a business leader, an involved parent, a creative force… Continue reading →