Every year, my parents brought us to the local street fair. The event allowed us to spend time together, interact with others in the community, and have fun as a family. We played games and walked up and down the streets looking at the items for sale. I found myself uninterested in most of what ...

The biggest epiphany I had was the realization that no one would save me but myself. I needed to stand up to the monsters in my brain. It fell to me to take control of my environment and decide whether to change or nourish it. No doctor or handbook existed to show the perfect way ...

Some of my fondest memories at my grandparents’ home centered on the same Disney Sing Along VHS tape. The blue owl would dash down the branch into the tiny tree house school and invite me to sing all of my favorite songs. My only childhood exposure to Disney was through this video, which featured the ...

Living in New York rarely provided comfortable commutes. It was considered lucky if it was a subway transporting you somewhere, but often that’s not the case. My commute was a train to a bus that brought me home. I hated this route, but it proved the fastest way to my destination. Anxiety remained a present ...

I often ask myself when writing a piece, “Am I doing this well?” “Could this be better?” “Am I good enough?” Perfectionism weaves a false narrative that I’m lackluster despite overwhelming proof of otherwise. It’s a consistent roller coaster of emotion, wondering if I come up short when I’m right on time. Too often, I’ve ...

There was a period in my life where every step felt like my last. Ruminations spiraled through my brain like an unending race against time. My legs felt like jelly and shook under me through the most mundane of tasks. I was a prisoner to the “what ifs?” that swirled around like caution signs on ...

Confidence in my writing ability has been hard to come by. The power of my pen served as a primary source of expression. I’ve received positive feedback about my work from family and friends, but none has stuck. No matter how much they praised me, I still couldn’t find the enthusiasm to say, out loud, ...

Darkness filled the room with silence, the only sound available to me. My juvenile body felt a heavy weight. The rush of worry was loud and blaring like a fire engine. What could this feeling be? How did it appear out of nowhere? I didn’t have the answers to my questions or the words for ...

Our youngest sister, Juji, was born with her own rules, and demanded everyone follow them. To understanding her logic took some effort, but ultimately, she’d won. By the time she was ten, her combative instincts had been honed through years of academic authoritarianism. When the nursery section of the Sacred Heart Convent accepted her, she ...

The transition to Bangalore is epic. All our furnishings and heavy household items are to be sold. Even then, a moving company moves heavy trunks and boxes. The thought of having new furniture in a new city excites us. But first, we have to reach Bangalore. Daddy describes the train journey to us. It will ...