The Stories We Tell Ourselves
First grade was the first time in my life I felt understood. I loved everything about school. The snacks, the smell of mimeographed worksheets, learning how to read and write, the playground, and most of all, I loved my teacher Mrs. King. She was the first adult I had...
To the Survivor – I See You
Hey friend… I see you. I see how every single day you just hope and pray that you’ll have a few moments of relief, of “normal.” When that anxiety animal is clawing at your chest and you have no idea why. Or when your emotional flashbacks make you feel afraid even when...
Mrs. King Versus the Gaslighters
Gaslighting: to manipulate (someone) by psychological or abusive means into questioning reality. I had watched my big brother board the school bus every day for the last year. Now, it was finally my turn. The very first week of first grade, my teacher, Mrs. King,...Where’s the Bright Side?
Though I don’t like to think about it, I sometimes wonder how I went from enthusiastically running a service business that doubled every year from word of mouth alone to homeless, struggling not so proudly just to get by. It was a long, slow decline. Overall, it took...