Category: perspective
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In the ring with insurance
Today, as I sit in front of the fireplace, I’m grateful it’s a Sunday. That means most customer service lines are closed, so I can’t feel the urge to call my health insurance provider. Well, I can certainly want to call, but I won’t get an answer—which, in many ways, is a lot like when…
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Cuddle parties and self-care
Have you ever heard of a Cuddle Party? I’m not referring to my status when I’m on the couch in a pile of beagles. Instead, I’m talking about a capital-C Cuddle, capital-P Party, which is a term I recently learned while reading Melissa Febos’s book, Girlhood. Cuddle Parties were created to “promote and enable empowered…
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I have done some things
Lately I’ve been in one of those funks where I struggle to give myself credit. I find myself thinking, “I don’t do anything worthwhile,” yet there is plenty of external evidence that proves otherwise. But rather than appreciating what I have done, I keep turning my focus to what I haven’t done. When I fall…
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Lessons from a sea turtle
As my mom and I walked along the beach one morning last week, I saw movement a few feet ahead. It was a baby sea turtle—a hatchling—flipped on his back along the shoreline. My immediate instinct was to flip him over and help him to sea, but I paused, uncertain if I’d inadvertently cause harm.…
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I kissed an electric toothbrush last night
Last night I kissed an electric toothbrush as I told it goodbye. Weird, I know. Ramón got the toothbrush a few days before he was diagnosed with leukemia, so it spent more time in a hospital than most people ever will. That toothbrush encountered more ups and downs than the average oral hygiene product. I…
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Not boarding
“I didn’t leave for the airport before I left for the airport.” Yes, that sentence left my mouth earlier this week. I was on the phone with a friend, telling her about last weekend’s quick trip to Louisville, Colorado, just outside of Denver. (If you live there and I didn’t tell you I was coming,…
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Say NO to the second arrow
I was recently leaving the library like the nerd I am. I always pull out of the parking lot slowly because the visibility isn’t great — shrubbery on one side and a sign on the other. As I edged out, I saw a woman approaching on the sidewalk, stroller and dog in tow. I reversed…
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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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Elevate
“Which do you prefer: the beach or the mountains?” “Oh, I’m definitely a beach person,” I answered with aplomb, despite having never been to the mountains. My family vacationed to the beach every summer, so I went with what I knew. The beach was familiar. The mountains were foreign. My answer was a reflex rather…
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Mental hodgepodge
You know how Jeopardy! has a “Hodgepodge” category? This post might be similar. Blogpodge? Sometimes I sit down to write with a specific idea in mind, and other times I figure it out as I go. Today there are several things bouncing around in my head, so I’m just gonna say ‘em. I have a…
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![Rain, rain, you can stay [a while]](https://drewdotson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/img_1048.jpg)
Rain, rain, you can stay [a while]
Nothing quite brings me to life like the feeling before a thunderstorm — as the wind picks up and electricity builds in the air. I’ve always been drawn to rain. I loved storms as a child. When it looked like rain, I didn’t want to go inside; I wanted to go outside and immerse myself…
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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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27 months
“Today’s date is the 20th,” the poll worker announced this morning as I completed paperwork to vote in Georgia’s (very important) election. The 20th jumped out at me, as it often does. I got married on one 20th, and I became a widow on another 20th. After doing some quick calculations, including counting on my…
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Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced Joy Project, created by cancer survivor and widow, Dana Frost. Dana graciously gave me an opportunity to share my story of grief. Here’s an excerpt: What do you want others to know about…