I didn't publish much on my website this year and I even took a month off from my Lipstick & Pearls column in the Free Press for the first time since starting it in 2008!   I've spent a lot of time retreating and quiet. I've tried to keep my head down as much as possible, especially in the second-half of the year. I've been emotionally drained, wary and weary. I know I'm not alone in that either. It's been a long year. Sometimes I get tired of speaking. I feel hoarse and unheard and very lonely in this work -- and to be honest, this impacts me greatly. I'm in the process of learning how to care for myself with boundaries and yet, continue to speak out and to advocate. It's complicated in places and I'm learning things about myself that I'm not ready to share.  But...  here are some things I'm learning that I shared publicly in my newspaper column: I don't have thick skin.   I have a tender spirit and I really am glad for it, though i