Tag: personal essay
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The Space Between The Matrix And Independence
There was a version of myself I kept meticulously folded, tucked away behind the expectations of others, obscured by the calm of their certainties. This quiet suppression began subtly in childhood. I recall, at five years old, a moment of mischievous delight in a bustling shopping mall, relishing the frantic attention of my parents as…
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What I Learned During A Power Outage
Candles and battery-operated lights are still extremely valuable! How did people once live like this? No lights or hot water. Trying to cook must have taken hours! No electronics of any kind. Can you imagine waiting to hear from someone, but there were no phones? Or just trying to walk into the next room. Quickly…
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A Short Letter To You
Some places are reminders of so many moments; they remind us of so many things. Hidden are hundreds of memories in a single place. Isn’t it a beautiful thing how a single place can remind us of so much?! Isn’t it amazing how a single place can hold so much?! Furthermore, if the place is…
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Holiday Season – Why I Am Switching Off
Everyone craves time off to slow down, to have those perfectly curated, sweet, cozy morning routines portrayed on one of the many reels calculated by my Instagram and TikTok algorithm. It is presented with such ease, through a luscious spread of food, an assortment of coffee, and a very specific plan related to the gym,…
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In My Anti-People Pleasing Era
When I first saw that this publication was looking for writers to contribute their work, I immediately thought: “How can I add something of value to this magazine and its readers?” Each of us, regardless of what it is we aspire to become in life, all want to do something that makes each morning worth…
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Chronically Ill And Fabulous
Being chronically ill can feel like a full-time job. The doctors are rude to you. They have to Google what is wrong with you, it is considered that rare! The doctor admits they get 15 minutes of training on your condition. So, no, they are not very aware of anything you deal with! On top…
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Bernadette’s Story, Part 1: Meeting The Mongrel
The staff at the animal shelter looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I wanted to adopt Bernadette. I had been volunteering there for a few months and had become fond of this “high-risk” dog, despite all her growling and snarling. However, I feared, due to her behavior and long stay,…
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The Cost of Your Peace
I am a recovering People Pleaser. Today, at 45, I still wish there was a support group I could attend no less than once a week to walk along with me in this recovery. While it’s true that I am not technically harming anyone, I have, in fact, continuously harmed myself at the cost of…
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It’s Never Too Late To Be An Up-And-Coming Author!
After a 50+ year career as a counterculture, rock, and movie set photographer, I reinvented myself as a novelist and released “Lenswoman in Love”– a novel of the 1960s & ‘70s in 2025 at age 78 – a reimagining my early career as a romance. And to my surprise, I discovered that I am not…
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Life Used To Be Fun
This is for my pillars, my builders, and the people who need it. “Life used to be fun”. It’s something I always heard when talking about childhood memories or when people left a message on some random 2000s nostalgia video. “Life used to be fun”. It is a powerful phrase to say and so bold.…