by Natalie Karneef | Apr 13, 2017
So I was dating that guy. And I was trying to be all casual about it. Which was fine, until I started to have feelings. I didn’t want to have feelings, because I didn’t want to get attached and/or hurt. And because, as we all know, feelings...
by Natalie Karneef | Feb 22, 2017
“What are YOU doing here?” This is my greeting as I wriggle through the mountains of boots, mitts and snow jackets in the entranceway at Matt and Holly’s. It’s Sunday night, and I’ve been invited for dinner, for which, miraculously, I’ve made it on time. I’m...
by Natalie Karneef | Jan 19, 2017
Day 1 “Maybe I’ll get a flu,” I think, hopefully. “Or there will be a very localized apocalypse.” I am driving to a meditation retreat. It’s New Year’s Day, and shudderingly cold. I don’t want to be here. I think about my fireplace, and the friends I could be spending...
by Natalie Karneef | Nov 18, 2016
In my old life – the one with husband, home and supposed stability – I had an afternoon ritual. Our house didn’t get much light, but for about an hour in the afternoon, a sunbeam lit up one spot in our bedroom. If I was feeling down, overwhelmed or tired, and...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 22, 2016
My friend Leannah asked me yesterday how I would celebrate being finished this 30-day challenge. “I don’t know,” I told her. “Probably eat something?” It hadn’t occurred to me. Just being finished felt like celebration enough. I’ve been officially teaching writing for...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 20, 2016
This morning is one of those mornings. Nothing terrible happens, shit just goes wrong. Then I find out that the friend I’m supposed to meet in Bucharest, where I’m headed today, can’t make it. At lunchtime, Pietro drives me to the train station, even though I could...