That’s the thing about perfectionism. When you chase something unattainable, you complete a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even if you’re the kind of person who acknowledges the arbitrariness of a new year and refuses to set goals according to the calendar, odds are that a few weeks ago, your social media was full of Top Nines, fresh […]
There’s something about the music that you grew up with that gives it a place in your heart forever. And even after it’s fallen off the charts or gone out of fashion, it grows along with you. In the summer of 2017, I went to see the band U2 play at Soldier Field in Chicago. […]
My lack of self-love had never stopped me from loving anyone else, but, by loving myself, I could now love everyone, and everything, more profoundly. When I heard it, I let it echo again and again in my mind. No one had ever said it quite like that before, nor have they since. I wanted […]
Some people assume all individuals born boys will grow up to be men who are attracted to women. However, we just need to observe other life on earth to find fascinating exceptions to those binary and linear assumptions. Gender isn’t binary with humans. With identities such as gender-fluid, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming, we as humans need […]
This experience made me think about how I use my own privilege. Do I eliminate obstacles for others or do I take the easier route of deferring to the status quo? In the last decade I have increasingly sought to educate myself about the biased power structures in our society. I’d like to consider myself […]
I am doing this at the risk of people who may criticize or question me, because at least some part of me knows: If I don’t, something worse will happen to me, and soon. I’m not supposed to be here. Especially not now. Last night, I clawed my way through my first panic attack in […]
When I look back on the past few years, I am proud to feel like I’ve built something that’s mine. Staying with my partner in our new home for Christmas is another way to mold the life I want. When my partner suggested that we spend our Christmas sans family, I initially balked. Being an […]
In my mind, if I do not incessantly succeed, people have no reason to rely on me. Believe in me. Love me. A childhood nickname made me who I am today. Well, at the very least, it started me on a path that, nearly 25 years later, I am still on. In fifth grade, when […]
