The Underside

Tales From the Underside

This space started long before I knew what it would grow into.

I’ve always said I’d write a book. But the shape of that book changed again and again. Sometimes, the only thing I wrote was appointment notes. Sometimes, I wrote just to keep from unraveling. For a long time, I wasn’t telling a story-I was just trying to survive one.

I spent years working beside John in construction, building with my hand. But after my first hip surgery, everything changed. Not only did I have to shift how I built- I had to confront lifelong traumas to finally grow out of some very uncomfortable comforts.

Now, I build with words. Not to report what happened, but to reclaim it. To shape it into something worth holding. Something that might help someone else feel less alone.

This isn’t just a collection of stories. It’s the underside-what lived beneath the surface until I was strong enough to speak it.

Through connection. Through healing. Through the radical act of choosing to tell the truth- in a way that makes me proud.