“Why do you and your mom get so many tattoos? You cried like a banshee during your first one!” my dad said after I showed him my newest design. It made me wonder why I loved the habit. Growing up, I never really understood the power behind them. I thought they looked cool, even if ...

As a new year dawns, A new version of myself I start. From the old me, I depart. New adventures are beginning. This year is one for winning. Though tragedies and heartbreaks mar the way, Still, happiness is here to stay. The future is bright. It is bold! This life of mine is a treasure ...

Sometimes, I want to be a balloon. To be as buoyant as it seems while dancing across the sky above. No anxieties about the future, and no mistakes from the past locking it in place, trapping it with chains made of utter anguish. Balloons never have to worry about how they look, what others think ...

How do I explain the bubbles rising withinHow do I identify the tingling in my feetHow do I count the reasons my lips keep spreading in smilesWhere do I find the glueto hold my feet on the floorAnd prevent me from springing up with joy. It’s the one YES inside the chaos of NOsIt’s the ...

I was given some harsh advice by my therapist last week. She said, “That’s life. It’s time to grow up.” I was hurt at first, and then the more I thought about it, It dawned on me that she was right. I have always cried about everything. Tears come when I’m sad, when I’m happy, ...

Stress is like that friend who you have known for your whole life who makes annoying life decisions. You know they’ll pop up at the worst times with a crisis that needs to be addressed immediately. They won’t ever go away, but sometimes they behave. I do not handle stress well. I bottle a lot ...

The past few months have been rough for me. I’ve had to deal with my confidence being crushed by someone important to me. My whole life, I’ve worried that I’m a burden to everyone I know. My family and friends have done everything they possibly can to assure me that they are glad I exist. ...

I was never allowed to trick or treat as a kid. However, Halloween has always been a special time of year for me. My parents didn’t like me watching things with magic involved so Halloween was like forbidden fruit. This being said,  It became my favorite holiday as a kid. I loved researching how Halloween was ...

I have been thinking about how the world is changing and how as a person I have changed over the years. A decade ago, if I wasn’t in school or actively speaking with someone, I had headphones on my head. I would always replace them in a matter of hours when they shorted out or ...

Monochromatic color splayed like a smudge on the horizon.  A cardinal flits across my view. A bright red fleck in snow.