Category: Uncategorized
-
My Year on a Twin Bed
I told you to write the next chapter in your own recovery story, and you said, How, and I said, Climb a mountain, and you said, But I can’t, and I said, Get rid of the crap weighing you down, and you said, Fine. And you packed everything you own into a Toyota Camry, and you…
-
Welcome Upworthy Readers!
Honesty can both hurt and heal. I wrote this list of 11 things people don’t tell you about growing up with an alcoholic parent, published on Upworthy. But I hope you never read this as, “Follow these steps for a perfect life.” Life is messy. And I think it’s the messy stuff we need to share to…
-
Dear Mom: You Were Right
I know you’ve been waiting to hear these three little words for years. How do I know? Because I’ve seen it happen over the years, your face would light up every time Dad thought he knew what time to leave to beat the traffic and that you were wrong and he was right. Then,…
-
On Remembering.
I erased you from my memory. Until I was forced to look you in the eye–in a picture I dug up on Facebook. It’s true, I was stalking myself. But it was for a good cause. I needed to share my life story with a group of women I’m doing life with right now. So…
-
Welcome Scary Mommy Readers!
You could be anywhere else right now. But you’re here—in my little space on the web where I write and wrestle. Thank you for reading my letter to Tillie, republished on Scary Mommy! My hope for Tillie today is that she’s busy visiting a new little girl. One who really needs her. So, now that you’re…
-
For My Best Friend, A Beautiful Mother
I want you to know that I don’t get it, that I can’t get it. And—yet, somehow—I do. For my best friend who is a mother of two boys and describes her life as a daily Clorox commercial: I see you. You came to our Skype date with a hooded sweatshirt and eyes that you…
-
A Life That Matters.
Who gets to decide if her life matters? For the woman in Target with her bald head wrapped in a colorful scarf, barely able to push her cart down the aisle because she’s weak, she’s coming to the end, she might not make it: Did her life matter? She smiled at me like a mom, so I…
-
Thanks to This Toilet.
I flipped my head upside down, scrunching and shaking out the curls, and that’s when I saw it: my toilet. I stayed upside down and I laughed, to myself of course, because I knew I had to tell you right away about what my toilet says. It’s urgent. The name of my toilet, my toilet…
-
Why I Should Budget for Speeding Tickets.
“I couldn’t believe she said that,” Amy said into the phone. “So what do you think I should do?” And before I could utter any word of advice, Amy said, “Ahh! I did it again! Another flashing camera. I should seriously budget for speeding tickets.” It’s been weeks, more than a month, since this conversation…
-
Just a Girl Waiting.
Just a girl waiting for all the head counters to stop telling me that I’m waiting to get my ducks in a row. Just a girl waiting for the graph makers to stop drawing lines that show I’m choosing to wait until my 30s to walk down the aisle because I’m busy chasing high heels and…
Ashley Fenker 