I’m excited to announce that I have a story in a Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology called Mothers & Daughters. “No Silver Platter” is a story about coming to terms with the reality of getting a college education when you come from a low-income family.

“You can do anything you put your mind to” is inspirational, to be sure, but it sure doesn’t tell the whole story. Rereading this essay today reminds me that I’ve always had this positive outlook…really an expectation…that things would work out for me. I would venture to say that I even thought that they SHOULD. I have a few ideas about where this misguided entitlement came from; it probably wasn’t all because I had the highest slide in the trailer park in my backyard at the age of 7 (but that’s part of it).

To be fair to my teenage self, no matter that I thought I understood how difficult it was to be a single mom of 5, I still expected Mom to launch me out into the world of adulthood with sturdy wings, a dining pass, and a four semester’s worth of textbooks (used was fine). And this was from someone who felt she had the “independent” thing down pat: I had a job, I researched college options myself, and I made my own way to the clinic to get birth control (so I wouldn’t be a teen mom myself).

These were pre-helicopter-parent days. My Gen-X self was familiar with going it alone…but still. I remember looking through college brochures then the same way I look through travel sites now. I picture myself THERE. I look through all of the options and equate my level of excitement with my NEED to GO!

Also, the same as now, checking out the cost and saying—YES, it is absolutely worth it! Back then Mom may have agreed, but that didn’t mean it was in the budget. There was no budget.

And yet, WE still found a way to make it work. (That’s in the story.)

If you would like to support me by purchasing a copy of the book, click here. You can have the book signed and/or add a private yoga class to your purchase. Thanks for your support.