Love is a Garden, And We Have the Exceptional Privilege of Being the Caretakers and Stewards of It. To My Love Bonnie, It was a somber, overcast sky in the early Seattle morning of April 10th, 2020. It was my birthday. I was 32 years old and driving back to my hometown of Chattanooga after... Continue Reading →
We Will Never Be “Ready” To Start Something New, and That Is Okay. Do It Anyways!
If we wait around to do something new until we are “ready”, then we will likely never do anything at all. I want to keep reminding myself of this truth. I start a job next week and I have been less than positive about it, even though it is a good opportunity. It’s my reintroduction... Continue Reading →
The Top of the Mountain, The Edge of the Sea, The Beauty Is Out There, For It Pours Out of Me
By humanity’s collective upward gaze, the top of a distant mountain takes on a mythical aura that is difficult to fathom. When we peer at a mountain’s peak from below, it breathes with the rule of an eternal force, unencumbered by the rhythm and flow of mortals. Its ascended stature emanates a holy presence and... Continue Reading →
Moving Past Trauma and Victimhood to Gain Empowerment
Recognizing myself as a victim of a traumatic past is an important initial step in processing and understanding my mental health, but I have realized that staying in a mindset of victimhood will only hold me back as I try to move forward and grow into a new life. Over this past summer, I have... Continue Reading →
I Quit My Job For the Sake of My Mental Health
Well, I quit my job with no other job in line. I gave my notice about a month ago and I am officially unemployed. Quitting my job with no backup plan is a frightening feeling. It feels like the sturdy ground that I have always known is loosening and breaking beneath my feet and I... Continue Reading →
A Brief Pause to Enjoy Spring
Like so many, it has been a strange time as we slowly emerge, hopefully, from the worst of the pandemic. It was a long, difficult, lonely winter that held an extra bitter bite this year and the emergence of Spring is ever welcome! Spring has given me a new found hope and optimism towards the... Continue Reading →
Staying Strong in the Year of Disillusionment
There has existed a sinister feeling wafting forebodingly in the air throughout this past year working from home at my first real desk job of my career. It jolts out around every corner of quiet intermission between tasks on the computer and checking my emails. “This is not what I thought it would be.” “I... Continue Reading →
Choosing to Tell A Better Story About My Life and Circumstances
Spring is finally in the air and there is a sense of a new beginning echoing through the blooms and the colors as I gaze out upon the emerging life of flowers and insects. Nature is waking up again. I feel like there is a fresh start, indeed a revival, upon us singing fruitfully in... Continue Reading →
A Revitalizing Hint of Spring in February
This winter season has felt particularly cold and brutal to me. I can’t be the only one. I’m not just talking about the temperature, but the actual isolating dynamic of winter. Maybe it’s because I work from home now and in the past few months it has been a struggle when I get off work... Continue Reading →
Accepting and Adapting to the Seasons of Life
Acceptance initially feels like admitting defeat. Acceptance feels like you are throwing your arms up in the air and shouting “Okay fine, have it your way!”. Acceptance is often misunderstood, as it's not saying you don’t want to change your circumstances. Acceptance is admitting that there are things outside of your control, and to let... Continue Reading →