Freedom of Voice

My head feels like it's about to explode. Well, one side of it anyway. I wish I were speaking in a figurative sense, but I'm not. My head literally  feels like it's about to explode. The pressure has been building behind one eye since the impending arrival of subtropical storm, Alberto. We desperately needed the rain around here--typical Florida going from drought conditions and fire dangers to flood warnings--but, I really wish it didn't have to come in the form of a system that causes changes in the barometric pressure. Luckily, this type of headache only hits every once in a while, a few times a year. I've learned to function with them, dull them enough to move along with my life and daily activities--as long as I don't bend over to pick anything up. I just look at it as an opportunity to get some squats in. Figuratively speaking, I do the same at work and in my personal life. Work has been a little bit of a pressure cooker lately. Not big news at the e...

Hi, my name is Annmarie, and I'm addicted to sarcasm. I honestly don't know how I would survive without it. Or, at least stay out of jail without it. Wielding it takes the edge off, lets me release the building pressure in little spurts so I don't blow. Sometimes, it's pretty funny, downright hilarious even. And to my family who will tell me I'm not as funny as I think, I get lots of laughs at work and with friends. So there. However, at times, my snarky comments are just plain mean. I can see it on the faces of people who laugh nervously, all the while their darting are looking for the escape. Too far? I want to ask. I just apologize instead. The trick is to find that fine line. I often fail, crossing over to the dark side of biting sarcasm. I always feel better letting it out, but I may leave others feeling wounded. And, that's a problem for me because believe it or not, at my core, I am a kind person. I truly enjoy helping people out, making someone fee...

I committed to writing a weekly blog, and with the exception of one week, I’ve honored that promise to myself—no easy task for someone who lies on her own food journals. But,  when we lost all cable and internet connection this morning, I was ready to throw in the towel. Instead, I decided to turn my WiFi off on my phone and type in tiny letters on a tiny screen—not easy for someone whose multi-focal contacts don’t provide perfect vision near or far. Add a raging one-sided sinus headache to that. Not a perfect formula for writing. But, I’m determined to write anyway. That’s commitment in my book. For the past few weeks, I’ve been questioning my commitments and lack thereof. I’m over committed to things that are wearing me down and not committed to things that have in the past built me up. And just like the food journal, I lie to myself about what is important and what is not, over prioritize some things as an excuse to not prioritize others. One truth stands: I do it to mysel...

Lately, my Facebook stream has been flooded with pictures of proms, awards ceremonies, and high school and college graduations. I've known a lot of these kids since they were chubby-cheeked pre-schoolers--some since they were in diapers. My first thought is, man I'm old.  My next thought goes to how cool it is to be able to witness these milestones, even if only on social media. For all the negative talk about Millennials and Generation Z, I think these kids have the perfect mix of moxy and assertiveness to make some significant strides.  They're willing to navigate the gray areas, not get stuck in destructive black-and-white thinking. They'll discover things we never thought possible, work in careers that aren't even defined as of today. Their lack of boundaries--however annoying to those who are more comfortable living inside the lines--is the very thing that will lead to advances in medicine, education, technology, politics, and society itself. Yes, they don...