January 11, 2026 With gratitude to George Vukelich Reading my mid-January journal entries from previous years has yielded a pattern. As the new year turns away from “New Year’s” and into the longest winter month, I seem to be perpetually frustrated with myself for staying home. Seasonal depression is enough to tangle with on itsContinue reading “A Grace Walks Into a Bar”
Author Archives: Driftless Grace
Trailhead
New Year’s Day 2026 If I am in the right mood and have a few free hours, I like to wander from room to room in my apartment searching for items I can give away. The mental boost of purging unneeded stuff from my space is addicting. It feels like I’m working towards some idealContinue reading “Trailhead”
Reset
Winter Solstice 2025 As I’ve shared in recent posts, much of my inner turmoil over the last few years has come from feeling pressured to make and keep commitments. I want to acknowledge here that the commitments themselves are not to blame. Rather, there is a people-pleasing perfectionist within me who doesn’t want to letContinue reading “Reset”
To Thine Own Self
November 7, 2025 In Act I of my father’s original musical (oft-mentioned and caffeine-fueled), there is a haunting song for three voices that sounds like it was plucked straight out of a Broadway show. Indeed, Dad was taking inspiration from modern musicals like “Dear Evan Hansen” when he penned this batch of songs. In theContinue reading “To Thine Own Self”
Grounded
October 18, 2025 Although I have given up on meditation as it’s officially practiced, the life I lead is meditative in another sense. My jobs and pastimes have always caused me to be confined to a specific ecological region, historic site, or area of personal significance. This relative monasticism has allowed me to deepen myContinue reading “Grounded”
R&R
September 6, 2025 For all that I am happy when the weekend arrives, or that I am conscious of needing a break during the week, I am terrible at relaxing. If there’s a single chore left undone in my life, I spend all my time thinking about how I should be doing that instead ofContinue reading “R&R”
Blind Spots
August 24, 2025 I recently learned (or rather, finally got it through my head after several people told me) that something I was doing at work in the name of a helpful gesture was coming across as meddling or creepy to my coworkers. I’m not trying to use loaded language here: their position on theContinue reading “Blind Spots”
Balance
August 10, 2025 While others may go to church of a Sunday morning, I go to a certain back porch of a certain store that’s very dear to me. Maybe you know it. They serve coffee. Being there is a rite in itself: greet the cashier; grab my favorite mug from its peg (actually, it’sContinue reading “Balance”
Planting Seeds
July 12, 2025 Once upon a time in the Driftless, there was a young woman who had recently graduated from college and was taking the first few tentative steps in her chosen career field. In the months since she’d walked across that stage to get her diploma, a beloved member of her class had diedContinue reading “Planting Seeds”
Simple Gifts
Father’s Day 2025 On another June morning four years ago, I was seated on the front porch of a coffee shop just a few feet from where I now write this. It was the hottest and brightest that a Driftless summer day can get. My laptop screen reflected the sun’s glare as customers filtered pastContinue reading “Simple Gifts”
Driftless Grace 