This new normal was anything but normal to me. The prior Federal agency I worked for the past 14 years wouldn’t have dreamed of such organized disruption. The thought of a civilian employee vacating their position for a temporary assignment, in the name of...
I needed air. The weight of disappointment made it difficult for me to catch my breath. I felt sick from dehydration. If I had known earlier I would have cried so many tears, I would have consumed the 36-pack of bottled water I brought with me to the Christian...
The two-and-a-half cups of coffee I ingested had yet to jolt me awake. In 10 minutes, I would be center screen, giving a virtual presentation to senior leaders. My brain was foggy. I was tired. The lamp on my desk cast creepy shadows on the walls of my home office....
Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle, and all. In an intriguing parallel, the nursery rhyme “Rock-a-bye Baby” subtly mirrors the dynamics of conflict...
I feel conflicted about entering the new year. There is a part of me that despises 2023 and is glad it is over. Then there is that part of me who is thankful for the turmoil that came with it. I faced the darkest days of my life in 2023. It was the grand finale of a...
I thought I hit the jackpot when my federal position was reclassified as remote after being sent home due to the pandemic. As it turned out, the work I performed could be done from my spare bedroom. For two years, I enjoyed working in stretchy pants and wearing...
I admit it. I complain a lot. Sometimes I don’t realize I am doing it until I see the look of confusion on my husband’s face. Bless his heart, he doesn’t know what to do about the coworker who makes me angry, the fact that there are not enough hours in the day, my...
I was more than disappointed, I was angry – angry at God for waiting until the very last minute to close a door of opportunity that had opened for me six months prior. I did not go looking for a new career, but when it came knocking on my door, I was intrigued, so I...
“I don’t have time for this!” I told the nurse. She did not respond to my outburst. The MRI revealed no sign of injury, but the intense pain in my right shoulder suggested otherwise. I knew the moment I sprinted with two 30-pound kettlebells in hand that my days as a...
I found myself comparing all day yesterday. I haven’t done that since I was an insecure teenager with a freakishly large bosom and stringy hair. It started in the morning when I became jealous of a friend who celebrated her weight loss via social media. We are on the...
