Maran Hanley

I have a deep passion for reflection. From people and behaviors to nature and culture I find each moment interesting and profound. As a writer life is my artist’s muse. I love to watch and apply. Application for me is the crescendo of all observation. Where an idea becomes actionable. That is exciting. I am a storyteller. I believe a writer’s job is to tell a story. To fit disparate and incongruent pieces into one great whole. To create a story with new purpose and meaning. Whatever the event or the person I seek meaning and metaphor and I write about that insight. A person is beautiful puzzle with incredible humanity. I believe that in our personal narrative meaning is the string that ties life’s trials and error and happiness and heartache together in one circuitous whole. As a parent of four children I have great opportunity to observe human behavior in its raw and unfiltered form. The interplay of dynamic and personality are fact and fiction of everyday life. It it both a privilege and a massive responsibility for me as parent to nurture children from day to day into compassionate humans. I am steward to help these young minds dream, believe and do. This endeavor is fraught with both triumph and frustration. Parenting is never a story of overnight success. I live behind enemy lines knee deep in mud one moment and in platitudes of light and praise in the very next. The juxtaposition of these disparate experiences is the summation and triumph of parenthood. I am enthusiast of health and wellness. I am passionate about self-care and reluctant aging through whole foods and body movement. As the sous chef to six people I experiment with how to cook for a family in a healthy and sustainable way. My favorite meal is breakfast. With very little time, breakfast can be a time to add nutrition and variety to the family palate. In the kitchen I am the great experimenter. Sometimes it works and others it does not. My nine-year-old would gladly tell you about each time it did not. I love to travel and feel it an honor and a privilege to watch and experience how others live and view the world. I am an artist. A collector. A finder of used and beautiful things. A lover of art. An advocate of nature. Above all I am human—by trial and error trying to learn how to live and love.