• Though She Fall: Takeaways of a First-Time Surfer

    I’m Florida born and raised, so learning to surf needed to happen at some point. The well-meaning worriers assumed I would be eaten by sharks. Good news is that didn’t happen, but I did gain a new respect for the sport and the life lessons it teaches. Watch, Learn, and Surf Humbly There’s a YouTube video that explains the top 10 mistakes first-time surfers make. If you’re interested in watching, click here. I’m pretty sure I broke all of them multiple times. When we’re growing up or learning anything new, people typically tell us: “Now don’t do this or that. You don’t want to make the same mistakes I did.”…

  • 2 Upsides of Uncertainty

    I hate suspense, which is ironic since I write young adult novels packed with conflict. Relegating uncertainty to fiction seems safe, because I (as author) am in control. Uncertainty in real life, I don’t always handle so well. Please tell me I’m not alone here. Uncertainty comes in all forms, including that four-letter-word wait. Maybe you’re waiting to hear back on an interview. Any day, you could get the phone call that the job is yours—or that the hiring manager chose someone else. Or perhaps you had a medical test last week and still haven’t received the results. At other times, uncertainty comes when we’re facing a decision, and we…