On Her Own

Life Skills

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The mystery of beauty

Beauty is a mysterious thing. We know it when we see it, but most of us can’t when it’s familiar to us and perhaps especially so when it’s closest to home in our own faces and bodies. It’s something I struggle with, and I’m betting many of you do as well. It’s important to learn

How to be safer next year

The week between Christmas and New Year’s often seems like a gap in time, a moment when the world collectively holds its breath and takes a break. Many businesses are closed, or people out on vacation. If you are working, you’re often having to deal with more people than usual not working. Everything seems like

On Solstice, and surviving until spring

I’m writing this on Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For those of us with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and even those of us without, this is the turning point, when the sun begins to stay with us a little longer every day. The dark days are

What to do if you see a car accident

In our travels over the holidays and as weather continues to worsen, it’s likely that many of us will see at least one severe car accident. When we come across one, we may feel any combination of sadness and empathy for the folks involved, relief that it’s not us, annoyance at the delay, and an

The self-defense grind: why it’s worth the work

It’s a lot of work to prepare yourself against all of the various threats that you can face; you have to consider your home, your bank account, your emotional safety, your physical security, and more. The world is a scary place, and there are so many ways life can go wrong. It can seem like

December blues: A survival guide

Hey, let’s talk about a tough topic that’s likely brewing for many of you this time of year. December is when the days get almost impossibly short here in the Northern Hemisphere, and when the reminders and pressures of the holiday season press on us the hardest. Winter weather means it’s getting colder, and the

Lessons from the hunt: A story I tell about myself

It’s Sunday afternoon, and I just filleted off several pairs of duck breasts to marinate before I sear them off for dinner. Not wanting to let the bones go to waste, I tossed them into a pot and turned the burner up on high to let them take on a little bit of color. As

Why we travel

Travel. I talk about it a lot because it’s one of the most common times when a woman might find herself on her own. Whether it’s the short trips across town as we commute or shop or the longer journeys for work or play, even those of us who live with others don’t always have

Adventure inbound: waterfowl hunt!

In ten days, I’m going on an adventure and I can’t wait to share it with you! Beretta has invited me to Hunt Like A Girl with a fantastic team they’ve put together in partnership with Shoot Like A Girl. Even though I’ve been a gun owner and a shooter for fifteen years, I’ve only

Safe spaces and why you need them

The idea of a “safe space” has been much maligned over the years, but I’m not so sure that it deserves all of the badmouthing it gets. In fact, I think that not only should safe spaces of a kind be respected and appreciated, we all should make sure we have at least one. Stay