I like to work out my thoughts by writing or talking. I’m very opinionated and argumentative, but I don’t like personal conflict. So… a blog.

This is not a single-topic blog, and the only theme is my contrarian stance—hence the name “according to my lights.” (Despite its faintly Quakerish sound and my protestant temperament, I’m not religious.)

Here are the positions I’m most likely to write from: I’m a mother, I’ve worked in health care, I teach college, and my husband has died. In order to make a living, I’ve had to move my family across the country. I have strong views on parenting, education, the medicalization of birth and death, and the importance of learning to live with people you totally disagree with. I’ve been grappling with grief and loss, and with the ways we are “supposed” to negotiate them. I read voraciously, and I will write about books that interest me–as well as quite a few other matters, including That Dress.