I was one class away from finishing my master's degree when I asked my dad for help paying for it. He said no. Looking back, I wonder if that moment became the foundation of my hypervigilance; the belief that if I planned well enough, carried enough, and anticipated every possibility, I would never have to ask for help again.
A little reminder from my 2019 self that showed up in my memories today. It’s funny how time passes, but the weight and magic of words never change. Still feeling every bit of this today.
Sometimes the safest thing we can do is stop hiding and let ourselves be fully seen.
We are taught from childhood to smile through stress and insist we're “fine,” even when we’re falling apart inside. This personal reflection explores the quiet exhaustion of holding everything together, the unexpected relief of finally breaking down, and the small moment of human kindness that made it okay to not be okay.
Perhaps the people breaking down first are not broken at all. A reflection on sensitivity, exhaustion, and the unhealthy rhythms of modern life.
What if contentment isn’t the end of ambition, but the beginning of presence? A reflective essay on awareness, sensitivity, and what we notice when we can no longer disappear into distraction.
Today I am 48, and I no longer feel like I am becoming someone new so much as returning to myself. This is a reflection on memory, identity, and the many versions of who we become before we learn how to come home again.
(c) Manchester City Galleries; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation I first encountered the Siren when reading The Odyssey. In that epic tale, she is portrayed as an alluring, powerful, mermaid-like creature whose voice lures men to their doom. They can't resist her, even though her island is surrounded by the bones of her previous… Continue reading What the Siren Symbolizes
Is it magic, or is it neuroscience? From modern spell work and prayer to manifestation and quantum physics, humans have always tried to understand the power of thought. Does what you believe change your reality, or is it just hope?
The Open Circle This morning, I noticed a bumper sticker on a truck. The kind you can spot from a distance: lifted, oversized tires, the whole aesthetic dialed all the way up. The sticker itself was exactly what you might expect. A bold American flag. A familiar phrase stretched across it: “We the People.” I… Continue reading We the People
