Category: gratitude
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Sick of medicine. Sick without it.
I had seven voicemails when I returned home from a magical, soul-inspiring trip to Scotland in March. They were all from pharmacies. SEVEN calls about medications. I’d abruptly transitioned from fairyland back to reality. Normally I have a “whatever needs to be done” attitude when it comes to managing cystic fibrosis, but this time anger…
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Judge Ramón Alvarado ’05
I type this with tears in my eyes. They’re mostly droplets of gratitude that I had the immense pleasure of spending almost a decade of my life with Ramón. But I’ll admit that, today, some are droplets of sorrow, wishing he’d had just a little more time to enrich this world—and, selfishly, my life. One…
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I said YES!*
*to an exciting new project! If you do one thing today, follow Love Per DM on Instagram! Here’s why:I’ve written a lot about my life with Ramón, but I’ve not written much about how we met—mostly because the story wrote itself. Well, Ramón and I wrote each other. For the 12 days leading up to…
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Bursting bubbles (in a good way)
I’d never heard of H Mart when I met Ramón in 2011, but it soon became an integral part of our relationship. H Mart is a Korean grocery store that has its own food court. I’m not sure if Ramón’s Korean-ness led him to H Mart or if it was because the store was only…
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Guess who’s lucky?
Yesterday I started listening to a book called Conscious Luck by Gay Hendricks and Carol Kline. When I read its subtitle, “Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune,” I figured why not. It certainly couldn’t hurt. I’m only a few chapters in, but the overarching message so far is about accountability and empowerment — about…
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Leaving Lackville
I’d typically try to think of a clever way to start a post like this, but I’ll get right to it: I’m fed up with myself. Over the past several months, I’ve developed the unproductive habit of focusing on lack — on what I deem to be missing from my life. Put another way, I’ve…
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ExtravaGranza
As we prepared to eat at a family gathering one afternoon, the power went out. “Let’s all bow our heads,” one of my uncles started. “It’s too dark to say the blessing,” responded Gran, the queen of one-liners. Today that comedic genius, my maternal grandmother, Gran, turns 99 years old. I caught up with her…
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Field of dreams
Ramón and I took a two-week RV trip in 2018. We’d talked about doing it since we got married, so it was our belated honeymoon in a sense. We set off with our three dogs and our Fun Schedule — the itinerary Ramón devised (and named) to keep our trip on track. Needless to say,…
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37th Heaven
I turn 37 on April 26. On the surface, 37 doesn’t sound like a particularly significant age. It’s approaching “I’m almost 40” territory but not quite close enough to claim it. It’s an age best announced exactly as it is: 37. The number 37 stands out to me, though, because, as I entered adulthood, it…
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On the right track
This is one of my favorite photos from 2022, taken in November. Yes, it’s a selfie, but this was a moment I wanted to capture. I felt so (this is hard for me to say) proud of myself. In this photo, I am sitting at a train stop in London on my way to the…
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A flight of imagination
I have a complicated relationship with airplanes. I was once headed to NYC for a work trip and had an awful asthma attack. I was gasping for air and couldn’t speak, so the woman next to me sought help from a flight attendant. “Ice,” I mouthed to her, knowing it helps soothe my throat. People…
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I hugged a sign.
I hugged a sign last weekend, and it hugged me back. It’s official! At this very moment, cars are driving over the Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge in Gwinnett County. I am overjoyed and grateful to everyone who made this possible, especially State Representative Chuck Efstration for proposing the bill, which passed unanimously. I spoke at…
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Remembering Ramón
I think we’ve all had the same pressing question lately: How do I live a life that’s so amazing they name a bridge after me? Just kidding. But, as we near next weekend’s bridge dedication ceremony and after-party, it’s really hitting me that Ramón is getting a freakin’ bridge named after him. In his relatively…
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OMGlennon
I am here with a proclamation: I became one of Glennon Doyle’s biggest fans over the past 24 hours. I first heard her name a month after Ramón died. I visited a good friend, Alyssa, for coffee, and we were waxing philosophical—or trying, at least. Alyssa referenced a quote about pain Glennon recently posted online…
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October 1: Save the date!
Several months ago, a *quite* special resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly: HR 918: Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge; Gwinnett County; dedicate I know you’ve been holding your breath, so I’m here to say that it’s officially official. Ramón’s getting a bridge named after him! Details are still coming together (thanks to some of…