Open your closet, wardrobe, clothing racks, or wherever you store your clothes, and take a good look. I mean really look closely. Out of all that’s hanging, folded, stuffed, or shoved in somewhere, and don’t forget what’s been left to fry in the dryer, how many do you actually wear? Not stare at, slide past to find that specific top, but put on and go out in? I’m betting that for most of us, the number is probably smaller than you think or want to admit. Maybe 10%, or 20% if you’re really lucky and diligent about changing up your look. Not to mention if you work from home, have a uniform,…
-
-
Empty Nester, Full Heart: How to Make This Chapter Yours
And may include bigger closets! My youngest is off to college, so my nest is officially… empty-ish. I’m not sad about “no longer being a mom” as that job is forever mine. And I’m definitely not in the “phew, I’m done, go solve your own damn problems, kiddos” camp either. It’s more like a shift: a new season of cheering on my mini-adults… while remembering to show up for myself, too. Now I 2,000% will be threatening (lovingly) to turn their bedrooms into my extended closets. Their trophies and school knickknacks can stay, but only as quirky and cool dividers between my shoes and boots. Thanks for the suggestion, S’MAC’! You…
-
We’re Gen X and We’re Not New–We’re Just ‘AI Social’ New
Not too late either. Just starting from experience. We were here before Google. Before TikTok, Instagram, all the ‘GPTs,’ and every one of those terrifying “Just wait for it…” jump-scare Reels. We made the wickedest, flyest mixtapes. Ensuring the room was more silent than a baby gnat’s fart while holding down the clunky play + record buttons simultaneously, then easing off the pause with ninja-like precision. Today’s young’uns can’t imagine that kind of timing or level of dedication. From Mixtapes to Memes: Digital Life and AI Lingo After 40. Amazingly, we survived the plethora of disks. Floppy, hard, and CD. And no one could tell us that a strategic blow…
-
Done Is Better Than Dreamed: A Real Way to Begin
Why Starting Still Feels So Damn Hard (Even When You’re Ready) You’re on your treadmill, or out on a walk, wrapping up watching the 9th video when you swore video #8 was *the one*. Then video #10 pops up, making you doubt everything all over again. Fast forward to after your shower and a meal that still doesn’t have enough protein to sustain your Big Age, and now you’re umpteen videos deep. Yet, somehow, you’re more confused than when you started, and mad enough to contemplate letting your idea, ‘your thing’, pass you by – again, wondering if it’s just you. Procrastination Station Welcome to OVER-DOING-TOO-MUCH. Well, that’s what I’ve…
-
The Truth About Bad Titles and Your SEO Score
Got a problem being succinct? Love a melodic, lyrically infused blog title? Or a mysteriously clever promo header? I know I do. Well, guess what? SEO doesn’t love it as much. BOO! I know, I know. “Hands up, ‘Chatty Cathys’” Another thing to admit: I have a teeny-weeny tendency to… waffle on. I’ve been told this affliction is a bit more common in those of us over 40. Rude, but probably true. We (I) have a lot to say, learn, and share. And while that can work, to a point in your main blog content, it’s an absolute SEO killer, and leaves all your juicy content floating-in-the-wind-dot-com. Completely unnoticed. And…
-
Ignore Perfect Photos and Just Publish Your Blog Now
I’m saying this with all the love in the world, to you (and me): your blog post is not auditioning for a Vogue cover spread. Nor a shout-out at whatever the Met Gala of web content is. You’re writing to connect, inform, encourage, or move something in someone to act. Not only does it not need to be perfect, it never will be, and it doesn’t need to be to deliver impact. I’ve been there, and I still take more time than I need to on the “right” images. Stalking my go-to sites, trying to match that gorgeous mental image I’ve been carrying around. Am I trying to convey a…
-
Juneteenth: Learning & Celebrating Black Freedom in the U.S.
Today is not just another Thursday. It’s Juneteenth. A day that marks freedom finally getting to the enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Two and a half years! Let that sink in for more than a moment. So when you hear people say it’s a celebration, now you understand. I was born and raised in London, England, to parents with Ghanaian roots, so learning about the reason for this national American holiday brought both horror but ultimately joy in the power of Black Americans. Through my discovery, and it’s been over some years, I found Juneteenth was actually one of many…
-
How To Finish A Solid Draft Faster
And getting right in to it, it was all about rethinking perspective. Whatever your ‘thing’ is, battling with the usual doubts of not always having the drive to stick to it, believing you’re lacking the talent to do it, or the time to complete it, will probably plague you throughout it all. And sometimes, that could be months, if not years. Recognize it. You’re not alone. You’ve still got time to pivot and get that win. For me, I love to write, and want to write, but that wasn’t nearly enough to significantly cut down the time it took for me to get to a solid first draft of my book.…
-
Last Bell, Big Feels: And High School’s Done-Done
Catching-self moment, part deux. This time, it was my baby cakes graduating from high school, and let me tell you… the pride? It hit different. More pride, more happiness, but also a deeper sting with the true end of an era: no more kiddos in school. University feels different. Yes, I am (and was) ready to be done, but in that second as she crossed the stage, with me screaming her name, it was more than a whoosh of feelings. It was a whole shift. The weather showed its entire arse, and not in a cute way, but by raining sideways, even hitting us under the covered outdoor stage. Then…
-
Blink and, Poof, They’re Grown: Milestones and Mumma Pride
I had to catch myself again. Mid-moment, thought, and proud mumma tears. My oldest just graduated from university, and whew… that feeling? It’s bigger than words. The kind that makes you stop and say, “Wait, how in the heck did we get here already? Who approved this! I want names!” Even the rain held off long enough to let us soak in the sun and snap a few outdoor photos, proof that the universe knew this was a moment worth capturing. And yes, I wore those toe-pinching, open-toe joints in the drizzle because even this mum showed up to celebrate her baby. Rain or not, we were going to shine.…
