I remember the feel of my dorm room’s concrete block wall digging into my shoulder, the edge of the wall holding me up, but also uncomfortable. Like it knew I needed both support and a strong nudge too. “You want to do what now?” My mother’s voice from 200 miles away sounded tinny through the…
Bus Ride
It’s 1983 and I’m standing in the Arrivals area of Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico, heart pounding, disoriented. I’m 20 years old, and completely alone. “Jenni,” I think to myself, “You are definitely NOT in Kansas anymore.” My arrival in Mexico marked the beginning of a 10-week study abroad experience to supplement my Psychology and…
Mastodons and Memories: Reflections on a Road Trip Adventure
I stepped over the threshold and the scent of a Northwoods gift shop greeted me like a long-lost friend. Part birch bark, part pine scent, it’s the olfactory welcome-wagon greeting of any trip I’ve ever taken to northern Michigan. Normally that waft of tree scent means that I’ll find some fascinating trinket that accompanies me…
Open Doors: What’s Next in Your Story?
Are you on the cusp of something new? Every life is filled with thresholds—the point at which we sense that change is afoot. A doorway beckons: do you feel ready to turn the knob, open the door, and step across into the unknown? The Nature of Transitions When it comes to midlife transitions like retirement,…
Where Our Stories Meet
The reader finishes her personal essay on the theme of “family”, voice tinged with emotion. She looks up from her paper to see a group of us looking back at her, our eyes full of compassion and support. No judgement. Just a brief silence. Then someone offers: “I see me in that little girl you…