Posts By: MJ Pullen
M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.
Last night I had the privilege to see an incredible documentary about the extraordinary life of Simon Wiesenthal. Mr. Wiesenthal survived the Holocaust and imprisonment in several European concentration camps, and went on to become an infamous “Nazi Hunter,” who helped track down and capture Nazi war criminals responsible for the deaths of millions of […]
Why would someone who has a near-paralyzing fear of drowning (and hates being in a swimsuit) voluntarily choose to get in a pool every week? I ask myself this question often as I flip-flop my way through the locker room at Georgia State in my 5+ year-old basic black swimsuit, slowing slightly for a glance […]
Thanksgiving was four days ago, and I finally feel like I might be ready to eat again! We had a wonderful holiday with family and food, a nice wrap-up to a busy but fulfilling few weeks (so busy and fulfilling, in fact, that I haven’t blogged in a month!). Since this is the season of […]
I love Halloween – it’s a day of fun and fantasy, when anyone can be anything, and everyone from the littlest kid to the most mature grownup can try on an alternate identity… just for fun (and candy). Somehow when we put on a costume or a mask, it gives us permission to cast aside […]
In my Advanced Counseling Theories class, our homework assignment for this week was to answer this question: “Has the movement of your life so far been consistent with your values as you understand them?” Whew. It would be way easier to answer a question about Freud or Adler… something I could look up in a […]
In the Jewish tradition, we are currently in the middle of the Days of Awe, the ten days between Rosh Hashanah (the new year) and Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). By Wednesday night, we’ll be fasting, afflicting our bodies and souls to allow space for reflection and repentance. Yom Kippur has always been one […]
As many of you know, I’ve been embarking on a journey since last December to SLOWLY improve my running ability. This has been an interesting and daunting task; and I’ve been blessed with many companions who’ve been my supporters, fellow runners and cheerleaders along the way. As I was panting my way around the GSU […]
Two blogs ago, I made casual mention of the idea that the Internet has become a communal extension of my brain. I also toyed with the idea that maybe parts of my brain are beginning to atrophy — or perhaps to be reallocated to another purpose because of disuse. All thanks to the convenience of […]
And this time I don’t mean self-flagellation! I have to be honest, it’s been a rough few weeks for me motivation-wise. My energy has been spread in a lot of directions lately, both personally and professionally, and some days it has been all I can do just to keep up. I felt I was struggling […]
Ever wonder what you would do without the internet? I know people ask this rhetorically, and conversationally, all the time… but lately I’ve been observing my own ever-increasing reliance on the world wide web as a source of information and connection… and the psychology nerd in me is wondering, “What impact is this having on […]
