Life & Culture

We have a wealth of information like no other generation of women preceding us. With a swipe of a finger, I can have a solution for that stubborn stain on the couch or read a thousand reviews on the best mascara. I can meal plan like a boss and melt inches from my waistline in just weeks. There seems to be this goal for streamlining life, doing more things in less time, by maximizing schedules, budget, resources, and even appearances. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tip just like the next girl, and there is a beauty in sharing such knowledge of helpful remedies and solutions. But, I have also discovered that the pursuit of making life more efficient can

I remember the first time I walked through a store after my first husband died. It was like walking on Mars; I was an alien in a foreign land. I looked like everyone else in Walmart that day, but I was a completely altered human being. I was struggling to simply put one foot in front of the other, to actually find and place a few grocery items into my basket, that in the grand scheme of things are meaningless to life. And no one knew. No one could tell by looking at me that I just lost my husband; that I felt like I might collapse in a puddle at any moment and melt away like the Wicked Witch of the West.

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! If you haven’t read this in awhile…or ever…I suggest you find a copy ASAP (hint…great graduation present..thanks Aunt Jan). If you are reading this you may be finding yourself in a new place, you’ve already gotten on your way. Or maybe you are in the same place you have been for while, but you need a change or a shift in perspective. Maybe you have moved for reasons that you chose. Or maybe you didn’t have much choice in the matter. Either way – moving is hard – change is hard. I lived in four states

There we were. Another contestant and I, hands embraced tight, waiting to hear whose hard work had paid off, whose “resume” had been accepted—who was the greatest. Then, it happened. My world was turned upside down, and my mirror was shattered as I heard my name called as the first . . . runner . . . up. Let’s face it. There is the winner, and then there are those who are, umm . . . losers! No, we are not all winners. There she was, the winner; there I was, the loser. Sorry little league baseball people, but not everyone gets a trophy in life. Thanks for lying to us. There I was, rejected—once again. The judges refused to accept all

“We’re going to be in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by” are words that strike panic in the hearts of many us. “Nooooooo!” we cry inwardly as we survey our cluttered counters and toy-littered floors and dusty tabletops. Our blood pressure rises and we start to hyperventilate as we realize we cannot possibly clean to perfection before the doorbell rings. But cover our tracks – that we can do. Here are a few tried but true tricks to making a house look tidy enough to get by when guests are welcome but completely unexpected: 1. Pile it up. Scoop the toys into a pile or basket – any corner or container where they can be corralled in as little space as

The women at The Grit and Grace Project have already lived through a bunch of this “getting through life” stuff. We’ve survived, thrived, then survived and thrived again. This reality becomes glaringly obvious when we are in the midst of life’s difficulties: divorce, loss of a loved one, challenging children, losing a job, financial challenges or natural catastrophe. Sometimes the need to survive and thrive can be created by great opportunities like a new job, the birth of a child, or a move to another city. There are even those days when it’s just getting out the door having successfully eaten breakfast that we count as thriving. Through many of our stories we share much of what we’ve learned through our journey.

A girlfriend and I accompanied our daughters, Julie and Amanda, on an eighth grade class trip to Universal Studios a few years ago. We had a blast, giggling together late into the night and bravely tackling every roller coaster with the girls. On our last day, we took a final wild ride on Fire & Ice, where we had been instructed to sit on our flip-flops so we wouldn’t lose them when we went upside down. As we tumbled dizzily out of our seats with our comfy rubber sandals in hand, Julie suddenly proclaimed, “Everybody has shoes!” She had looked around and discovered most of the other riders also had been sitting on their footwear. However, her mom and I thought she