Jess Lucia

relentless idealist, perpetual dabbler, and slightly-crazed mother of three

Oh, how I loathe writing biographies, yet I loathe a blank profile even more.

Who am I? I'm a girl who grew up surrounded by idealism and nature, but who somehow ended up in the suburbs for years before deciding to live the life I love and moving into an old neighborhood in Richmond's Near West End. A friend described me as a seeker of truth and knowledge, and another told me that she thinks of me as someone whose motto would be Socrates' "the unexamined life is not worth living for a man." As somebody who has come to proudly own the feminist label, I would add "...or a woman."

I'm a woman on a mission to question the dickens out of the status quo. My oldest son once asked, "how do you know you have dickens in you?" I don't have an answer to that, and don't see the need to make one up. I live to challenge myself to continually seek ways to live more sustainably and responsibly. This is a slow journey. Just as slow are my steps toward being a more creative mind, a healthier human, a more zen mama, a more loving wife, a more loyal friend, a more informed voter, a more responsible citizen, a more vibrant personality.

I have three young sons and an 80 year-old house with ancient plumbing, cracked plaster, and spider crickets. I struggle with anxiety, short-temperedness, and a hell of a sweet tooth. I'm always on the path to nonviolence but kindof hate it when people speak in an ooshy gooshy new agey way. I look and sound kinda Suzie-Q but have a chewy bitch center.

I sound stressed out. I like it that way. It's much more interesting than any alternative I've found.