lessons

What I’ve Learned From Getting Dumped

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

Last month, for the first time ever in the history of having a cell phone,  I blocked someone. The person was not harassing me or stalking me, and we didn’t have a big argument. We weren’t really even friends. Acquaintances maybe, but even that’s a stretch. We also didn’t talk really frequently, which is why I never thought to block him before.

I blocked him because his narcissistic personality is not something I want in my circle of influence.

You see, once upon a time we were close. We were really good friends. We became involved romantically, and we talked about spending the rest of our lives together. Until the relationship ended abruptly.

Because he dumped me.  Continue reading →

True Story: I Was Inspired By A Bank Robber

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

This is going to sound crazy. Really crazy. But it’s true…so that should surpass all understanding, right? This spring, I had the opportunity to sub for a fellow instructor at the college who was out due to illness. The subbing wasn’t difficult, all I had to do was take attendance, and sit back and relax because they had a guest speaker. Her name was Mandy.

She is a former bank robber.  Continue reading →

Surreal is a Perfect Word

/ Toni Williams / 4 Comments

lessons-learned-from-a-rough-year

When Merriam-Webster announced surreal as the word of the year for 2016, it seemed to fit perfectly. I actually thought it may have been a little too light-hearted because it was nothing short of painful for me.

I’ll be honest and tell you that during the first part of the year, I really thought it was just me. I thought the rest of the world was fine and everyone was happy and enjoying life. Until I started sharing my pain. Continue reading →

Lifelong Lessons From Route 3

/ Toni Williams / 4 Comments

lessons learned from route 3

Route 3. A dirt road in rural Leake County, Mississippi that holds fond memories of visiting my grandparents’ farm making mud pies with my cousins, playing on the swing on the front porch, and returning to Chicago with tennis shoes covered in red clay dirt. I suppose if I wanted to get really sentimental, I could cue the violins and say something like, “Those were the good old days.” But currently, I am choosing not to refer to anything in my life as old.

It was on Route 3 that I learned the basics of life on a farm. My grandparents taught me that it was important to grow your own vegetables, work hard to prepare for the slow times, and that farm eating was healthy eating. Unfortunately, I didn’t really appreciate those lessons during my yearly visits like I should have. At the time, I just thought that that’s the way people in the south lived.  Continue reading →

A Mother’s Day Tribute to M

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

book of m

Today is Mother’s Day. Among the flowers, the hugs, the brunches and everything else we love about mothers everywhere are the lessons. When no one else would support us, our moms have. When no one else would tell us the cold, hard truth, our moms have. And we we just needed a hug, a moms were there.

If you read this blog regularly, you may know that I will occasionally mention my parents, but there is never a specific mention of them by name or with photos. That’s because the don’t “do” the internet. Sure, they check email and will visit a website every once in a while, but that’s it. Limited internet and by any terms…no social media.

That no social media thing has been an adjustment for me over the years, but I’ve learned to accept it. And FOMO is especially real this time of year when there’s all kinds of “post a photo of your mother here” challenges all over the internet. Alas, I respect her wishes (some years  I have not and I had hell to pay) so no photos, no social media, nothing of the sort.

This year I decided to do something different.  Continue reading →