This is not just another 2020 drinking story — My name is Michele. I’m a trauma and abuse survivor, cancer survivor, and addiction survivor. I’ve been through the wringer but I’m humble as hell. Ok, I’m done tooting my horn. I’ll briefly explain my past before I get into the meat and potatoes. You can read about my trauma…

The beginning of holiday season starts with the Nutcracker — History of The Nutcracker The Nutcracker ballet dates back all the way to 1892. It began in Russia, where many of today’s classical ballet styles originated from. Since then, this Christmas delight and tradition has grown, sweeping the world with performances all over. England became the second country to produce and show the Nutcracker…

Focusing on the present is hard but think about the stress it causes to future trip and worry about the past — As I lay on my yoga mat this morning, this is what I thought to myself. Everything is simple at this moment. Right here and right now. Not thinking about what happened yesterday or what I have to do later, all I have is now. I can just be. Putting…

The lies and manipulation that were never-ending — The last thing you want to give someone with mania and a drug problem is a lot of money. My birth mother came into a lot of money when my great-grandma died when I was younger. We moved in with her into a little house in Lakewood, California in the…

A beast with a hefty dose of humidity — That is about the extent of my poetry skills, ya like? My hot yoga journey began in 2010 after my first stint of sobriety. I was 32 years old, fresh out of rehab, and looking for any way to improve myself. Exercise wasn’t a part of my life because I…

“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” — The Grinch — If you lived near an amusement park as a kid, chances are it was like Christmas morning if you had the opportunity to go. The night before, you are too excited to sleep. …

Does that mean I am an expert? — I was riding a high through the summer. Maybe I can actually become a writer, I thought. There were many people reading my stories, they were all getting distributed, and I was riding that pink cloud. The pink cloud of sobriety and my newly found passion. The stories were flowing…

It all started with an open relationship — Maybe I have been living under a rock, but did you know that they have entire resorts dedicated to the needs of swingers? Swinger (noun): a person who engages in group sex or swapping of sexual partners. Our friends, Jesse and Erica, well let me rephrase that, my husband’s friend…

My heart is back home for the holidays — “The only thing sweeter than union is reunion.” — Kathleen McGowan My daughter stepped off the plane yesterday afternoon on the west coast after a long day of traveling from the east. She is home for Thanksgiving week here in California and I couldn’t be happier. The look when I…