Hi and welcome! I’m Heather Osterink, a writer, observer, thinker, and believer that life should be lived in a way that positively impacts others. Often times, that comes from sharing our own stories and experiences. I’m also the woman behind heatherosterink.com and ash happens, and I’m glad you came to visit.

 This website is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. My life abruptly changed in 2017, and I have been forging a new path ever since. A difficult, painful path initially; now a path that is joyous and peaceful. If you want to learn more about my life prior to this, click here for a more in depth look at what’s brought me to this part of my journey.

I write about my experiences, observations, and journey through life. I’m going to process my pain and joy with you; share my losses and hopes; and, impart what I’ve learned along the way and what I still have to learn. I will write about being married to a narcissist and surviving narcissistic abuse. I will write about about recovering and rediscovering me, the person I was before narcissistic abuse and the person I’m becoming because of it. I will write about how the Enneagram has changed my life; I’m not an expert, but I’ll tell you my journey of discovering my number and what that has meant for me. Hopefully, what you read here will help you, or someone you know, in some way and also help you to know you are not alone and never were meant to feel that way. 

 I am also a firm believer that everything we do has an impact on someone else, whether we realize it or not. Therefore, I want to be mindful of and responsible with my choices and actions. And I want you to be, also. I want to always be asking the question “How can I impact the world in a positive way through life and actions?” Let me be the first to admit that I have not always thought or lived this way, and I’ve made mistakes, which you will also hear about (and hopefully identify with because I don’t want to feel alone either!). One thing I know for certain:  no one lives in a bubble. What you do and say matters, so, you might as well figure out how to live outside of whatever bubble you’re in now. More on this topic to come.

 I will, on average, post one new article a week. If you don’t want to miss out on any of these posts, sign up for updates below.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me here. I hope you will get to know me better over time, and that I will get to know you.