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Who is Elke Govertsen? Writer, mom, great neighbor, conjurer.
CEO of Mamalode, Chief Community Officer at MyVillage
I write about a lot of things but here are a few examples of key topics. Writing my first book, empty nesting, grief, recovering, parenting, and how I see the state of the world.
Empty nesting:
Open Nesting
In 2008, the very first version of the Mamalode website had a header image of an empty bird nest. My babies were not even in school yet and I already knew that nest was the image that would encompass motherhood. Now they are 18 and 21. The term “empty nest” is the worst. Empty is wrong. It implies permanence. It implies blank space. Sorrow. Silence. But…
Grief:
Parenting
talk only to that kid
A few years ago, at the start of this open nesting journey, one of my kids was really struggling. And so was I. As goes the kid, so goes the mom/parent/me.
Recovering from a car accident:
Lucky and sucky
When I was a kid, a boy named Tommy told me girls couldn’t throw straight. In response, I threw a rock from across the street and hit him square between the eyes. The moment it happened, I was horrified by what I had done—and terrified of what he might do to me. I ran home and skipped school the next day, feigning sickness. My mom didn’t question it. We…
The world, how I am navigating, and my work:
Make art. And then make dinner last longer.
A couple of years ago, at the height of grief I wrote about how aesthetic is the opposite of anesthetic— a choice between seeking either numbness or beauty. And here we are again, my friends. The deluge of news makes me want to both shut down and go wild with action. The clash of emotion and information renders me numb. Where to even begin?
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