Here, we don’t chase the algorithm. We chase meaning, emotion, joy and beauty. In this space, pleasure is sacred. Art is magic. Feeling deeply is power.
You are worthy. You are enough. And your weird, wonderful flavor belongs here.
This is a space for sacred misfits, tender chaos, and beauty that doesn’t play by the rules.
My work is for the ones who feel too much, dream too big, and want to create a life that’s soulful, sensory, and unshakably theirs.
If that’s you—welcome. Let’s make something beautiful.
This month’s theme is more of a prayer and a hope for the world. Please show mercy to each other. Please heal hearts and change minds. Please illuminate the truth of each of our belonging. Please send miracles.
Every new day in the U.S. brings a new horror. “Now what?” is an often asked question from me. As a transgender human, I am scared. Yes, I live in a blue state, and one that adopted language that is inclusive to trans people. This is about more than just me, myself and I. People from all over the world came to the U.S. for refuge for a wide variety of reasons, including being trans. Now where do they go? People were still waiting to come here from Afghanistan.
It’s a tender time.
The Ides of March saw the downfall of Julius Caesar. It’s around the same time we mark the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland. I don’t know what March will hold, but my greatest desire is mercy and hope for better things. Personally, St. Patrick’s Day is a day of beautiful music and community for me.
I will get out my fiddle and play my heart out.
May March bring each of us a bit o’ luck, a bit o’ fortune, and a bit o’ peace.
Forgive me, friends. I’ve had this finished since February 1st, and my heart has been distracted by the- gestures left and right – insanity in my home country of the States of “Unitedness,” the horrific death of Sam Nordquist about 30 minutes drive from where I live, unrest around the whole world, and that’s not even counting on the every day and every lifetime details we all go through any minute of any day. Plane crashes almost every day. This is not normal. This should not become normal for any of us. The wildfires. The list goes on and on…
I wanted something fun and floral for the shortest month in days, and the longest-feeling month in emotional decades. In 2015, I made the mistake of going to Los Angeles for a week early in February, and it was BRUTAL to go back to the cloudy bright gray of Rochester that continues until April… (Next time I will at least wait until the end of the month or maybe March.)
A local museum has a tulip, daffodil, hyacinth crocus display every February. We’ve gone the past few years and it REALLY lifted up my spirits. I missed it this year. I didn’t even have the energy to dream about it. And also, my car was literally stuck in ice. We haven’t gone anywhere in days and days. Good news – it is now mid 40s and the car is free!
So, what now? I’m looking forward to March. We march forward whether we want to or not. I’m looking for mercy in March. Mercy for all of our lives.
Junk drawers are usually full. Full of important office-type equipment – pens, pencils, paperclips, various kinds of tape, erasers, markers, and odds and ends that don’t otherwise have homes. They are the DOOM BOX of cabinetry. You have to clean them out now and again, in order to find items you thought you’d lost, realize there is no optimal way of organizing this weird claptrap collection of bits and bobs, and to re-lose items until the next cleaning.
I feel like 2024 has been the junk drawer of years in a lot of ways. It is time for a good clean-out to start the year fresh. So many things feel up in the air, and topsy turvy. There is no good way of making things feel right again, probably not for some time. But, we might find some valuable gems in the process.
Hold on to those precious valuables that you find along the way. Cherish the friends who help you laugh during the hard times. Eat dessert first and savor each bite. Stop and smell the roses. Listen to the ear worm that is stuck in your head.
As we collectively look back at 2024 and the pandemic years that came before, let us dance into 2025 with a good pen and a blank sheet of paper to create something new.
Happy New Year!
Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot In the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet For the sake of auld lang syne
Cheers to you, Uncle Eric! You are missed so much and will never be forgotten.
This is the 4th issue of our first volume of newsletters. I’m not sure what to say about it, except it is a labor of love, and really fun to create these with Jenn. I will also share the 3 previous issues below.
I hope you might take a look at these to learn more about what people with Autism, AHDH, and both AuDHD experience. There are things that are very similar, and there are things that go in diametrically opposite directions, making executive functioning very difficult. I have learned so much about myself throughout this process. I feel like I still know very little, even though I’ve been learning about it all for quite a long time.
Jenn is an amazing person, and very dedicated to giving other parents the support she needed as a mom with a child on the spectrum. She has since learned that she is also on the spectrum with ADHD herself. I’m going to share resources here, as I work my way through organizing everything.
If you have a question you want me to answer, send it to: dearcoriander at gmail dot com. If I don’t know the answer, I will find someone who can help!
Do you have a suggestion for someone as Creator of the Month? Please join and leave a comment at the FB group Autism/AuDHD/ADHD Virtually.
I am in full Christmasy mode. I’ve been watching a holiday movie every day since November 1st and keeping a list here at Letterboxd. The uplifting messages have helped raise my general mood from the depression of November’s US political results
I also made a phone version!
I have been in a whirlwind of grief – from the death of my uncle, and from the US state of political affairs. As a transmasculine person, I am concerned for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, and disability rights. We’ve been here before though, and will probably continue to fight for a long time. I am here and queer and I won’t be silent.
So, on one hand, I am consumed with angst and worry. On the other hand, I know the best revenge is to keep living a good life. I choose JOY. With the BIG letters.
What do you hope Santa brings to you?
I am content to have a quiet day with my mom, aunt and dog.
I am feeling very comfortable in my own skin, and grateful for my family and friends. I had the great fortune to unintentionally spend Halloween with my BFF and his dogs. I meant to visit earlier in the day, but ended up seeing all of his trick or treaters, which was a definite treat for me! I also got dog hugs from his fur kids.
I also have a secret that I’ve been unintentionally keeping. My friend Jenn and I have been working on a newsletter for the Autism/AuDHD/ADHD group she founded. It was kind of a whirlwind project, but it is so much fun. It has really changed my life for the good. A big THANK YOU to JENN for roping me into this, dragging me last month when I was really sick and out of it, and giving me this chance.
I learned when I was 38 (ten years ago!) that I have ADHD and started taking medication. It changed my life to be medicated for it. It didn’t solve any problem, but I actually started finishing things I started.
Even before this, in my early 30s, I learned that I was very likely on the autism spectrum. (At that time, I was investigating Aspergers, which is now classified under the autism umbrella. It took a while to find help for this weird collection of random stuff (which now because of the pandemic and TikTok we know are VERY RELATABLE for LOTS of folks). During the pandemic, Jenn started this FaceBook group called Autism Virtually (now called Autism/AuDHD/ADHD Virtually) after the movie Love Actually. She has gathered a whole team of people (friends, colleagues, community members, people from all over the world, parents, etc) and it is so exciting.
I will share the newsletters and links here at a later time, if anyone wants to join.
For now, I will close by sharing again how much gratitude I have for everything in my life.
What are you grateful for?
As always, if you’d like this resized or made for a different device, please ask!
I owe you a huge apology. I made this (and Novembers) and was so happy and proud of it, but never uploaded it here. I shared it on other social media.
My uncle passed away at the end of September, and it really hit me hard. I’m just now getting back to routines, and creating new ones. My mom is a twin, and this was my mom’s twin’s husband. There’s a special relationship that twins have, and I think that extends to their children as well. Since my dad died in 2013, I’ve relied on my uncle for help on household advice. He was a really funny man, and introduced me to all kinds of awesome Scottish stuff.
How was your October?
As always, if you’d like this resized or made for a different device, please ask!
My approach towards the end of August and beginning of September is one of introspection. What’s next? What might be around the corner? I am looking with openminded curiosity.
August has been full of Olympics, politics, birthdays including my own, the passing of my aunt and meeting up with family to honor her, and looking towards changes that are happening in the Fall.
Change can be hard, but it’s also an opportunity for growth and learning new things. I am looking forward to having new chances to work on my resilience and grit.
I think about the new school year starting, and how things like traffic patterns change (for the good and for the bad). Back to school sales. Labor day. The last of the grilling hangouts.
What does September bring to mind for you?
As always, if you’d like this resized or made for a different device, please ask!
Coriander in the Spice Rack 