First, I'm a mom. My kids are The Best People I Know and I'm honored that they still call me mom.

Second, I'm married, for over 30 years, to the same great guy. He's better than me at many things including planning, details, finances, and math.

Third, I love hiking and exploring. It's The Thing: my all-purpose reset button for mental health and just about any problem I face.

After that, the order of details I share changes depending on my mood and who I'm talking to. So don't take these as any indication of what I value the most.

I write. Most of my work is on this site, though I've had essays published in the New York Times, AMC Outdoors, and As It Ought to Be. I mostly write about sad things that have to do with losing my son. I teach high school English. My goal is to get my students to write one true, beautiful sentence that they're proud of, and then get them to write more like that.

I advocate for things I am passionate about: increasing mental health services, preventing suicide, supporting education (okay that's a little bit about self-preservation), conservation and protecting the earth and its inhabitants.

I try to leave the world a little better than I found it.

I hope people remember me as a wannabe-badass mom-wife-hiker-writer-teacher with purple hair and a mission to help people remain present and connected and understand that they matter even when they think they don't.