Sherry Dryja
Founder Petite Over 40
📍Seattle
Hi, I’m Sherry. I write stories for anyone who’s ever felt small in a big world and still wanted to taste everything it had to offer. My work blends humor, reflection, and the surprising tenderness of ordinary moments. Whether I’m being ignored by cats in Spain, falling in love with tiles in Japan, or noticing the quiet magic of my Seattle neighborhood, I write about being human in all the places that shape us.
Finding Warmth in Zurich’s Chocolate Labyrinth
I went wandering through Zurich’s old town in search of vegan chocolate. What I found instead was a moment of warmth tucked into a tiny shop and offered freely.
When Memory Becomes Light
Mrs. Bryan taught me to memorize paintings when I was ten. I didn’t know the map she was giving me that year would lead me, decades later, to the Rijksmuseum—and to a part of myself I had misplaced.
Don’t Judge a Fox by Its Socks
I judged a woman by her flaming fox sweatshirt. Then she and her mother danced circles around me—literally—and taught me a lesson I didn’t know I needed.
Getting Lost and Found in Strasbourg
I went to Strasbourg expecting a quiet morning alone—a city park, a little breathing room, a chance to recover from a hard year. Instead, I found two new friends, two unexpected strangers, and a small river of kindness that carried me farther than I realized I needed to go.
The Wild Beneath Our Feet
A Thanksgiving Kinship Walk along Seattle’s shoreline becomes a meditation on land, history, wildness, and the guides who help us hear the city’s heartbeat.
From Skater to Sprained Ego to Recovery Chic
I went roller skating to feel young again. It worked—if by young you mean willing to wager your aging skeleton against nostalgia.
Please Join My Cult (It’s Mostly About T-Shirts and Snacks
I didn’t mean to join a cult. I just bought a t-shirt. Then I laughed, felt groovy, and remembered how good it feels to wear something handmade and a little off.
Threads of Recognition
I’ve been writing about fashion for almost a decade, but it’s only recently that I’ve understood what confidence looks like on me. It’s not in the bold prints I used to chase, but in the quiet assurance of clothes that whisper instead of shout.
A Conversation in Clay
We thought we were just making roof tiles. What we found was stillness, kindness, and a lump of clay that became a guardian—and a memory.
Who Gets the Mashed Potatoes First
What does love look like when you scale it up to a country? It’s an easy word to say, but a harder one to define. And once you think you’ve got it, how does it ripple outward into a community and circle back to nourish the people within it?
I don’t have the full answer, but I have some stories.