“Wow, it must be pretty cold outside,” I thought. I had the furnace set to cycle on when the house hit 60 degrees, and it was cranking out heat like nobody’s business. It was light outside, and I was curled up in a toasty ball under my covers. Bet…

You know those clear nights when the stars seem so close it’s almost as though you can reach up and scoop a handful right out of the sky? Those stars are even more beautiful at 36,000 feet. Once you get up past the disruption of city lights, the h…

Something about my focused, almost rhythmic pace while I was washing my car yesterday had me deep in thought. They weren’t the healthiest of thoughts, but such is the way my head works sometimes. Before any sort of travel, I always freak out a bit…

I was exhausted, but the day had been productive; there was nothing in particular to wake up for in the morning, except for perhaps more chores, more tasks and more productivity if I felt like opting for such a thing. My body ached, so I promptly …

Do you ever stop and think about the people in your life who aren’t only present, but who have had an effect on you? I do. A number of people in the last year or so have spurred action on some level or another, and they may not even be aware of it…

The Keurig machine in our office is definitely the place to be (really, how much fun could gathering around the water cooler ever have been, anyway?). Zen-skewing coworker with her tea and I with my decidedly un-zen coffee had a brief, peaceful co…

Yep. Confession time: it’s January 31st, and my Christmas tree is still up. Not only is it up, it’s still decorated. As in no progress or effort has been made to even remotely consider putting it away. Sure, I brought all my boxes and storage cont…

My name is Lauren, and I am a doubter. I’ve had this long-standing issue of never giving myself or other things enough credit. I may never change, but I figured I’d talk about it. People talk about the things they know, and in the words of G.I. Jo…

Wanna get married? You don’t have to buy me a ring. I don’t need a fancy wedding, either. I was listening to a morning radio duo on my way to work, and they were talking about whether the ring “matters.” I understand that it does for many people, …

I drove to the beach to try to shake you, but it didn’t work. So I stood by my car for a while as the fog rolled in, and I watched the sky change colors. I inhaled the cold salt air and was willingly blinded by the setting sun that eventually duck…