Hardheaded Sharks

Written By: Erin Smith

March 18, 2019

  I love the Newport Aquarium and I go a few times a year. I am calmed by the jellyfish, fascinated by the seahorses, and charmed by the tide pools. But the best thing about the aquarium is the acrylic tunnels they’ve installed, designed in such a way that sharks swim underneath, above, and all […]

I Spy with My Little Eye

Written By: Erin Smith

March 18, 2019

“Mere color can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” ~Oscar Wilde As children, my brother Ian and I published a short-lived comic book featuring a curious raccoon named Charlie. Ian, who would grow up to be a talented artist, drew the comic and allowed me to color in his drawings and add […]

Learning to Love My Body: Part Two

Written By: Erin Smith

February 22, 2019

Last week I told the story of how I learned to hate my body. If you missed it, don’t worry about it. It’s no more interesting than the moment every adolescent girl has that triggers over 90% of us to feel deeply dissatisfied with our bodies as adults. The same old story that causes 80% […]

Learning to Hate My Body: Part One

Written By: Erin Smith

February 22, 2019

I was sitting in freshman math class when I learned to hate my thighs. As a child, I thought my body was beautiful. My legs could propel me through a back tuck, where you start standing, flip backwards in the air and land on your feet again. They could somersault off the high dive and […]

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Written By: Erin Smith

February 18, 2019

I accompanied my eighth-grade daughter Izzie last week to freshman orientation at the high school. This was an opportunity for the 8th graders to tour GRC and speak with teachers about which “educational track” they might pursue. Basically, it was to get the students thinking about The Question. You know the one I mean. What […]

Shake It Off and Step It Up

Written By: Erin Smith

February 11, 2019

An old mule fell into a well. Panicked, he started braying loudly. The farmer heard the poor animal and followed the sound to the well, peering down and down and down. The farmer could see no way out for the poor old mule. In fact, the abandoned well had become nothing but a liability and […]