Author: Heather Gifford
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Tuesday Tip: Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource
This summer, our front porch became off-limits thanks to an uninvited buzzing community of yellow jackets. By August, the problem had escalated: my daughter lost interest in bug hunting in the front yard, and we worried about delivery drivers being at risk. My husband initially thought he could handle it, but after researching nests, I…
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The Algorithm of Outrage: Not Every Headline Deserves Your Peace
We live in a time where outrage is currency. Social media feeds us headlines designed to spark emotion, arguments, and clicks. The more heated we get, the more the algorithm wins. But here’s the truth: not every headline deserves your peace. Parasocial Relationships and the Illusion of Intimacy With the rise of social media, we’ve…
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Big Brother Season 27: A Bittersweet Goodbye
Finale night always carries a strange mix of excitement and sadness. For me, it’s not unlike the end of a summer spent working at Cedar Point. While I wasn’t locked away in a house for 90 days, I worked up to 100 hours a week, six days at a time, living in dorm housing and…
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Rethinking Pain Relief: Marrying Modern Medicine with Ancestral Wisdom
Donald Trump stirred headlines again by suggesting a possible link between autism and pregnant women taking Tylenol. While that’s a controversial claim, and one science hasn’t conclusively backed, what’s undeniable is that acetaminophen (Tylenol) carries risks. It is well known to strain the liver, and in those of us with conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver…
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The Shift from Liberalism to Identity Politics
I’m 51 years old, a Gen Xer who grew up believing in liberal ideals. For most of my life, I thought I understood what it meant to be a Democrat: fighting for fairness, standing up for the underdog, and pushing for progress. But over time, I began to see a shift. For me, the change…
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A New Season, A Fresh Direction
As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, I’ve been reflecting on the direction of this blog and what will serve both me and my community best in the coming months. After much thought (and more than a few cups of coffee), I’ve decided to keep my focus on writing—through this blog,…
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The Real Cost of Feminism: A Personal Reflection
I was 17 the first time I heard Gloria Steinem speak at a rally for young women. We were told we were powerful.That we could do anything.That we didn’t need men, and we certainly didn’t need to raise them. Back then, it sounded like a revolution.Today, it sounds like indoctrination. 💔 Nobody Asked the Children…
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The Weight of the World and the Rest We Were Promised
In April 1999, I was one month away from college graduation when Columbine happened. My younger brother was still in high school, and watching teenagers his age running for their lives, or not making it out at all, was terrifying. Two years later, I stood in front of the TV with the rest of the…
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From Trauma Bond to Fractured Trust: A Nation’s Lament
I still remember September 12, 2001. The day after the towers fell, we were all glued to our televisions, hearts heavy, eyes swollen, minds trying to grasp the horror of what had just unfolded. It was trauma bonding on a national scale. For a fleeting moment, grief bound us together. Flags waved from porches. Strangers…
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Sunday Showdown in the Big Brother Fandom
If you thought Big Brother couldn’t get any messier after the BB Blockbuster twist, think again. This week, the fandom is in full meltdown mode following Rachel Reilly’s shocking elimination after Week 8. Her departure wasn’t the result of a vote, a veto, or even a classic backdoor. Instead, it came courtesy of the “White…
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A Lot Like Love: Moments That Redefine Romance
Before swipe-right culture and algorithm-driven meet-cutes, there was something magical about serendipity. A Lot Like Love (2005), starring Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher, is a testament to that beautiful chaos of timing, chemistry, and chance. It’s not just a rom-com—it’s a soft, slow burn that captures what it means to grow up, fall apart, and…
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Throwback Thursday with HEART: When Love Songs Met Power Chords
Marriage can be a kind of wonderful thing—two people blending their lives together, sharing dreams, and building memories. But what happens when they have distinct differences of opinion? Case in point: my hubby likes to play DJ. And when he does, he always goes for classic 70s HEART—songs like Crazy on You, Magic Man, and…
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