Enlightenment Spins in Unlikely Places — Two days in Sedona and the only Vortex we’ve experienced is the parking lot adjacent to Bell Rock: Swirling brake lights blink erratically as we circle the occupied spaces for the third time. Suddenly, the Subaru leading our pack throws it in reverse. He wants the spot he’s directly perpendicular…

Red Rocks, Hot Heat, and Severely Swollen Ankles — Yelp. The sound a Karen makes when she misinterprets your inability to bend company policies as “rudeness.” Yelp is the sound that follows Terry’s 1-star review of a restaurant he’s never been to but is angry that Google suggested to him. Yelp represents our own slice of Hell in cyberspace…

Returning to reality after ten years of online addiction — I consciously log into Facebook. I check my notifications. I respond to a few comments. I scroll mindlessly for an uncertain amount of time. I close Facebook. I forget what real-life task I was about to perform. I unconsciously open Facebook. I stare at the same meme I saw seconds…

How to be physically active through 2022 and beyond — In the days leading up to the winter holidays, the gym is a barren wasteland of undusted equipment. Even at peak hour, it’s rare to queue at the coveted cables; dropped barbells cast echoes across the building. People prefer to hibernate as the days grow shorter, but an interesting phenomenon…

How I’m Celebrating Yule (and Christmas) under the Illusion of Winter — Tucson provides an anticlimactic battlefield for Yule, where neither the Oak nor Holly King lay claim. Instead of trees, there are friendly Saguaros — their arms laterally curved, outstretched, offering a prickly hug. Nevertheless, the locals decorate their slices of the desert landscape with jarring Winter Solstice staples. Plastic snowmen…

Reflecting on the pitfalls (and solutions) we encountered while living on the road — My husband, Will, and I have been living out of our camper, Abeona, for the past year. Abeona is a 24-ft Vintage Cruiser camper made by Gulfstream. We share a bedroom and a kitchen/dining room along with our fur-child, Bambino. These small spaces are separated by a 2.5 ft. wide…

And slipping back into the gym after 11 months away — The crack of heavy rope on the carpet. Harmonious grunts followed by the clank of metal plates on hardwood floor. The cyclical creaking of that one elliptical that desperately requires lubrication. As strange as it seems, these are the sounds that soothe me (okay, except for the creaking elliptical; that…

Memories and lessons from the Evergreen State — When we were planning our cross-country trip nine months ago, I was especially excited about the time we would spend in Washington. I knew I’d love the state — both for its parks and cities — but I didn’t expect for it to woo me instantaneously. Upon our arrival at…

An example of the healing powers from a stranger’s kindness — My husband and I have been living in our camper, Abeona, for the past nine months. We move every two weeks, hopping between national parks, state parks, and bucket-list cities. I work remotely from the camper — which is only 24 feet long — so my husband, Will, and I…