Hi! I’m Marie. I am a clumsy, free-spirited work in progress. I love this life that Kevin and I are building together. He is my favorite favorite person and our home is my favorite place in the world. We have two house panthers. They are the softest and they bring me so much joy.
I love golf and disc golf and cooking and walking and yoga and pushing through hard things to get to the other side of them. I love learning and growing and that moment when you realize something that used to be impossible isn’t even hard anymore. The giraffe is my spirit animal but I love all animals. Especially soft ones. I love smiling at people and seeing them smile back. I love music and the way it can get inside your bones. And sleep. I also love sleep.
My mom is strong and beautiful and kind. My dad is passionate and hard-working and wise. I have an older brother, who I literally look up to (he’s 6’7″). He’s hilarious. And so so smart. I also have a womb-mate. A twin sister. The good to my bad. The light to my dark. She’s a beautiful and talented mother and wife and artist. We’ve all been through a lot together and as individuals and I am so grateful to call these humans my family.
I was born in Greenville, SC. Went to high school in Summerville, SC. Went to college in Florence, SC. Have been living in Charlotte, NC since 2013. I’ve spent about equal parts of my life in each of these places and visited many others. They all hold special pieces of my heart. Each place taught me something different. Each place holds memories that make me want to laugh till my abs are sore. Each place holds memories that make my heart ache to this day. Different parts of me are from different parts of the world. From different people. From different friendships. From different experiences. I am different every day.
I’ve spent a large part of my life trying to figure out what my purpose is and who I am supposed to be. Recently, I was introduced to the idea that I get to decide that. I mean I’ve heard it before but for some reason it never really clicked until about a year ago. I just always assumed that there was an answer out there to the ‘who am I’ question and it was my job to find it. Now I know that it isn’t my job to find the answer … It’s my job to create the answer. I get to create me. I have the power to decide if I want to be happy and healthy and creative and organized and goal oriented. Sure, being breezy has it’s advantages … for other people. But I’m not living other people’s lives. I’m living mine. So if you see me doing something weird or different or unexpected, don’t worry … it’s just me creating my life.
I’ve often thought about writing in a public way but have never done it because there’s always been this voice telling me that no one cares what I have to say. Maybe that voice is right. But what I’m learning more and more everyday is that perspective is everything. I can struggle for years with something and then I hear a new perspective and something inside of me just clicks and that struggle is over. On to the next one. So. This is where I will share my perspective. In hopes that someone will read it and something will click inside of them and their struggle-of-the-moment will be over.