Wow, it’s been a while!
I’ve been posting every other week instead of once a week on Mommy Say F*ck. Why? Because I’ve been working on my first book! In fact, a few days ago I completed the first full draft of my memoir, and I couldn’t be more excited.
I’ve felt strongly that 2024 is the year I needed to finish the memoir. Today, March 1, is the 20 year anniversary of my dad’s death, which seems like no coincidence for the timing of this project.
My memoir explores the way grief lingers in our body and the distance we are willing to go to try and escape it. It takes place at a Carmelite monastery on the west coast of Ireland, where I begin processing my dad’s death during my three-month stay. The rhythms and routines of monastic life, coupled with the silence and space they provided, created room for my pain and unresolved grief to emerge.
There’s still a ways to go before this book lands on a bookshelf (and hopefully in your hands!) and I know I’ll be sharing more along the way. But I’ll also be leaning back into the regular Mommy Say F*ck content you’re used to, and maybe with a bit more memoir updates along the way!
And really, isn’t that what it means to be a parent? We’re always juggling a hundred projects, always balancing a dozen other things. Someone needs a diaper change. It’s always snack time. How much laundry can we pile up in the bedroom before we have no clothes left in our closets and actually have to sit down and fold laundry for two hours? Kai’s birthday cake needs baking, the house needs cleaning, a doctor bill has been sitting on the counter for two weeks, and we’re completely out of groceries. Oh, and I should probably take care of myself and be intentional about being a loving partner too.
We all contain multitudes. Being a mom, a parent, or a caregiver is a role I am proud to play, but it is just one part of who I am. One of the major tasks of parenting, I’m learning, is creating space for all of who you are to come to the surface. It’s not easy balancing everything that goes into becoming a healthy person, partner, and parent. But we owe it to ourselves and our families to try. For me, that involves creative writing, traveling, and plenty of barefoot hiking excursions.
As much as this has been a “get to know Chelsea” post, I’d love to end by getting to know you. Leave a comment and share the various roles you play, all the hats you wear, all the plates you are perpetually spinning.
Mommy Say F*ck is more than just my space to process life as a progressive mom in a small conservative town. It’s our space to connect more deeply and embark on this journey together.
Great news about your book! I will definitely read it and share it. Me: wife, mom, friend, sister, leader at church, gym member, high school sports enthusiast, mother and mother-in-law of the soccer coaches. Loving retirement, longing for freedom from my church commitments, hopefully coming soon. There is a big world out there and a lot to do and see. Currently recovering from a ski accident that resulted in a fractured tibial plateau. I will start PT this week and be much better by May. Back to the slopes next winter.
That is so exciting Chelsea!!! Congrats! Gosh we all have so many spinning plates. Let's see... wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, nurse, nurse practitioner, provider, caregiver, bereaved, chef, housekeeper, chauffeur, dog trainer, and still figuring things out. What is the next chapter? Can't wait to hear more about your book writing journey.