I. Hold the tension, don’t just talk about it.Don’t run from it; walk the line.We can’t be so consumedby whatever may or may not happen,by the order of action steps that should happen first. Yes, society needs to enact change.Yes, there are constructs that constrict equitable access.Yes, there are people who will fighttooth and nail…
Author: L.M. Beatty
Artist & Author. Passionate Believer. Addicted to coffee, sunshine & laughter.
Inspired to find & share about the remarkable things that make life extraordinary.
Book Review: Heartburn
Why I was interested in this book I’ve known about Nora Ephron since I was a teenager. I think I read a magazine article referencing her essay “I feel bad about my neck” (which provided some inspiration for one of my own poems), but I didn’t realize how prolific of a writer she was until…
Flex ability
How far can you bend without breaking?At what point can you no longer stand straightbefore starting the inevitable danceof weight awkwardly shifted side to side.Where do you feel pain points,restrictions, tight knots of tension,muscles pulled taut?What causes you to hunch over—pulled down by the weightof a broken world?When will you snap—pushed beyond your limitswith a…
Book Review: The Lion Women of Tehran
Why I was interested in this book To be honest, I am generally skeptical of friends’ book reviews as much as I am of bestseller lists because taste is very subjective and there are lots of popular themes & types of content that I have no interest in reading. However, as I hope you’ve also…
Madrid, Spain | 2026
Two years ago, my best friend, Emily, and I befriended two wonderful Spanish women, Eva & Natalia, in an adult hip-hop class. They had just moved to the area to teach ESL and science classes, respectively, at one of the local high schools. They had been to the United States multiple times before and were…
The blessing
All of our voicesmatter.If one cannot speak those wordswithout a crinkle across the browor a twitch in the shouldersthen equality is not a value of yoursand this blessing is notfor you, for now. There must be a full acknowledgmentthat we are all created, all fallen,all capable of good, all susceptible to failure,all worthy of respect,…
In this bag
In this pliable, foldable, wearable bagI place a semi-confident assumptionthat I will be ok.I accept its quirks as I hope it accepts mine.In this bag, I hold snapshots of the pastand consider future plans. For as much as this bag is meant to carry allof my knicks and knacks,it can’t quite contain the mass of…
Buenos Aires, Argentina | 2026
This spring, I had the incredible opportunity to serve on a volunteer/ministry team on a trip to Pilar, Argentina. I have been an adjunct faculty member at my alma mater in the Department of Communication for six years (teaching PR writing and occasional other courses) and I was thrilled to be invited by the department…
Anyone & Everyone
Anyone can paint a picture.Unless they don’t have a brush, a canvas, a piece of paper.Anyone can grow a garden.Unless they don’t have land, seeds, a patch of dirt.Anyone can learn to read.Unless they don’t have a book, a paragraph, a teacher.Anyone can make dinner.Unless they don’t have a fridge, a stove, some food.Anyone can…
Book Review: The Secrets of Florence
Why I was interested in this book: Last fall, my family took a lovely vacation to Italy. We started in Rome, took the high-speed train up to Venice and the ended our trip in Florence (with a final flight back out of Rome). In preparation for the trip, my sister and I had found some…
