Caitlin Jill Anders
Bio
Full-time writer with anxiety just figuring it out.
Stories (28/0)
The Owls Are Guarding Paradise
Scottie remembered the first night he was around when the owl told them it was time. There had been many nights before he was born, of course, but the first one he was alive for was when he was five. As soon as the sun began to set the owl started to croon, which wasn't unusual — but it was the way he did it. Hoot, hooooot, hoot. Hoot, hooooot, hoot. Hoot, hooooot, hoot. Some people who had been there for nights past recognized the tune. Scottie's mother quickly grabbed him by the hand and they all rushed to gather at the mouth of the barn, right under the great owl's perch. His coloring was unusual for a barn owl, or so people said. It was one of those things that had been said and passed down for ages. Who knew if it was actually true.
By Caitlin Jill Andersabout a year ago in Fiction
The New Years Anti-Resolutions
It doesn't take a lot of digging to figure out that the whole New Years resolution thing is a flawed system. Most people decide they're going to do things they've never even attempted before, go all in and start out really determined, then quickly burn out and abandon their efforts a few weeks later. That's just not how goal-setting works. You shouldn't be setting wildly unrealistic standards for yourself. If you have something you want to achieve, you have to work up to it. You have to take steps to get there. You have to be gentle with yourself as you navigate the process. All or nothing isn't the way to do it.
By Caitlin Jill Andersabout a year ago in Longevity
Foolish Weeds
Mom’s thick, boisterous curls almost caught fire when she leaned down to blow out her candles, and my dad leaped forward and pulled them back into his hands so she could take her time and make a wish without burning down the house. I’d never heard of anyone else’s mom blowing out candles on a Mother’s Day cake, but my mom did it every year. "It’s my day," she would say, "So I should get to celebrate however I want. I’ve earned it."
By Caitlin Jill Andersabout a year ago in Fiction
JJ Wears Red
JJ was in the fourth grade at Johnson Grey Elementary, and she could only wear red. She owned seven red dresses, four pairs of red pants, two red skirts, three red tank tops, 12 red shirts, two red sweatshirts, a pair of red shorts, and one red jacket. All of her socks were white. According to JJ, socks had to be white. They didn’t really count as clothes. Those had to be red.
By Caitlin Jill Andersabout a year ago in Fiction
Tics and All
When I was in the third grade, my teacher called my mom to talk. She told her that I was making weird movements in class and asked her if she could get me to stop. She didn't want the other kids to think I was weird. When my mom asked me about it, I told her doing the movements made me feel good, and I couldn't wait until later to do them because I didn't know when I was going to need to feel good. My mom told the teacher I couldn't stop, and that was that. It was just who I was. If that made me weird, so be it. My mom didn't care, and neither did I.
By Caitlin Jill Andersabout a year ago in Motivation
A Dog Named Sherlock
For the past six years, my work has been all about animals. I write for an animal news website, and for a little while, I also worked with animals directly at a local dog rescue. I love writing and telling stories about dogs, cats, frogs, bees, monkeys, and the like. Working directly with dogs who needed homes hit a little bit differently though.
By Caitlin Jill Anders2 years ago in Petlife
