"I looked in the rear view mirror and all I saw was 'gators" is a sentence I never imagined my girlfriend (or anyone, for that matter) uttering - but it's 2023 and anything is possible. Waitangi weekend saw my partner and I tenting at Rakahuri (Ashley Gorge). Our modest abode for the mutunga wiki She… Continue reading Inflatable Crocodiles, Dora-the-Exploring and an Angry Gust
I honestly never expected to be posting about this, but here we are. Being Post-Christian This year marks eight years since I left the church and began my de-conversion journey. This means I’ve been 'post-Christian' and outside of the church (2015-2023) as long as I was a Christian in the church (2007-2015). It was hands… Continue reading Visiting My Old Church Again
The other weekend, some pals and I made our way to a little walking loop track by the name of Washpen Falls. It is a marvellous wee nature walk in a place called Windwhistle, if you can believe. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the Bench of Gratitude, but I did manage too come away… Continue reading Windwhistle Adventures
Probably the final instalment (though who the heck knows) of this series. Positive or Neutral? Body positivity is a somewhat outdated buzzword these days. It stipulates that loving yourself is hugely important, and an aspect of this looks like feeling positively towards your body. Obviously that's not the whole picture - we are so much… Continue reading New Year, Same Me: Neutrality vs Positivity (Part Three)
You know what? I wasn't done. I knew when I was writing part one of this series that I had eons more to say. While my perspective (white cis straight-sized wahine plagued by ghosts of body insecurity and fear of weight gain) is not representative of everyone by any means, I know damn well just… Continue reading New Year, Same Me: Bodies (Part Two)
Welp, we've made it through a whole year of teaching. When did that happen? It's true what they say about time passing faster the older you get. Both freaky and kind of humbling, in a way. Just when I'm starting to thoroughly enjoy my existence, too. Not that I didn't before, but also - sometimes… Continue reading New Year, Same Me: Bodies (Part One)
It's been a big ol' year, folks. Anyone else feeling it? It has been a long while since my fingers have graced the wordpress stage, and I've missed it. While there have been many passing thoughts and ideas flowing through, I haven't found the time or the enthusiasm to grasp hold of one and bring… Continue reading Teachering, Tetrapaks and Tuku Mihi
This may surprise some, but I don't write-off my entire Christian past as negative. The relationship I have with that life stage is a complex and nuanced one, and I learned a lot through this time - through people, experiences and community. Autistic Burnout My mental health as a Christian teenager regularly fluctuated. I had… Continue reading Ex-Christianity Revisited: Mental Health, Autistic Burnout & the Church
We're throwing it back hardcore, to my first ever blog post on this site, God is Good?. I was still living Bahrain when I wrote this. God is _______. Fill in the blank for me. Seriously, do it. I'm interested in this as an exercise. As a part-time boat-rocker and full-time philosophiser, I would like… Continue reading Ex-Christianity Revisited: God is ___
Hey, tweenage Abby. How's it going? What's new? Just kidding - everything that is new for you right now is Very Old For Me. I'm double your age now, isn't that whack? We're nothing like you imagined we would be. Except for our mahi, maybe. We definitely saw that coming - even if the context… Continue reading Open Letter to Tweenage Me
