Gum on My Shoe

By Andrea Marie For most of the first decade of the new millennium I lived a short block from the beachfront in a small borough on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, called Surf City. Having grown up just a few miles from New York City I visited the Jersey Shore countless times but never dreamed I’d be offered the opportunity to live “down the shore” as we called it. Surf City is roughly an hour and half from NYC, without traffic, which MUST be said. I lived in a single apartment above Island Earth, an art gallery storefront on Long Beach Boulevard, next to the bright yellow laundromat. The entrance to my apartment was around back, up a well-aged wooden staircase the top of which looked out over the flat roof extending over the gallery to The Boulevard. The small wooden deck led to the left to the entrance of a great little apartment. There were windows on all sides of the apartment making for great light and great ocean and bay breezes. The mighty Atlantic Ocean lay a short block e...

By Sophie May Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing. — Dolly Parton. “Love Is Like a Butterfly.” I’ve always loved butterflies (although I was afraid of them flapping near me when I was young) — the beauty, symmetry and even throughout my Mariah days (if you know, you know) 🦋 Throughout the hardest times of my life, butterflies have always appeared and taken me to a place of calm, most poignantly when my grandad was in hospital for the last time and there were two that just wouldn’t leave where I was sat 🤍 A butterfly tattoo later and they’ve become even more important. Whenever I’m struggling they appear. Not just that but when Bloomin’ Mindful hadn’t even reached social media, I got a message from a shop to say they wanted to stock my Butterfly watering stations (now the Bug Oasis) 🐝 🦋 That day I cried as it was the lifeline and boost of confidence I so needed! All of a sudden I felt my grandad with me and it w...

By Lisa Judson Sometimes, the people you never expected to meet become the people you can’t imagine your life without. Friendship is a funny thing. We spend our lives collecting people. Some stay for a season. Some for a chapter. Some disappear for years and somehow walk back into our lives as though they’ve never been away. And then there are the ones who become your people . Friendships are the lifeblood of life. They bring laughter, tears, support, comfort and solidarity. They bring a kick up the backside when you’ve wallowed for long enough, or a good-natured correction when you need one. Honesty, reliability and love bring it all together. I often wonder how I’d manage without my tribe. You see, I know lots of people. From all kinds of times and places in my life — school, work, church, the lake where I swim. And yet, I’ll admit, my inner circle is small. You know what I mean. Those friends who are your ride or dies . The ones you can call at any time of the day or ...

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