When I finally got sober, I expected things to get infinitely better. And they did. Things are better. I'm happier, I'm healthier, I'm more expectant of good things. But I didn't expect to still feel so much shame. The best thing I ever did for myself was get sober. Drinking was ruining my life and [...]
On Banning Booze.
I'm insanely scared to share this with everyone. On this platform specifically. And I know some people will be uncomfortable with it or won't understand it or whatever. BUT. I'm not editing anything out, because this is the reality that people live for YEARS. Sometimes their whole lives. Thank God I'm pulling myself out now. [...]
Cut Em Out
I love how at the beginning of every year there are posts about "cut this toxic person out of your life #whateveryearitmaybe." And however cliched that is, I think it should be true! Take the time to think of all the energy you put into people who consistently give you nothing in return. Think of [...]
Love and Love and Love.
I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my grandfather before he passed away. I sat in his room and held his hand. I watched my family work so hard to keep him comfortable and as happy as possible. I'm thankful that I'm surrounded by people who love each other and care, people [...]
On Jealousy.
Jealousy is a feeling we've all felt, and it's a hard one to shake. The idea that another person is better than us in any respect, or that someone else would be more well-suited to a certain situation? Well, that's a hard thing to get past. The thing I have to remind myself of is [...]
On ‘Saving’ People.
Many of my decisions in life stem from the impulse to help people, or to fix their problems for them. Helping people is great, directing them is great. Fixing their problems for them? Not so great. That’s called enabling. There's this weird dissonance to wanting to help people and knowing that enabling - in [...]
Small Good Things.
Right now, my mind is too full and fragmented to put many of my really intense feelings into words. I know for a fact that many of you reading feel this way as well. The world seems truly overwhelming, and what can we possibly do to cope with it? Better yet, to thrive in it? [...]
The Broken Woman
I recently did a project for my Women’s Literature class, analyzing how women in Appalachia are treated and the services that are available to them in terms of motherhood, domestic abuse, rape, and poverty. The results were disheartening, but at the end I realized that the women of this region possess a profound resilience that [...]
The Sweetheart Epidemic and RBF
“Hey sweetheart, this isn’t in a mug.” “Hey sweetheart, I know what you can get me.” “Hey sweetheart, when are you done serving these yuppies?” “Hey sweetheart, you should try to smile a little more, you look miserable.” My name is not ‘sweetheart’. I have a name, and a voice, and a pretty damn [...]
On Acid and Good Music
Dating is a weird concept, you guys. It really is. Pick that person, go out with that person, awkwardly talk about your life, which you know so well but realize your date does not. You divulge information you didn’t realize you’d have to divulge, because you assume everyone knows, right? Where you were born, what [...]
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