Acceptance is the key to crafting a masterpiece. Descartes says, “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” Taking small steps towards change is indeed a part of solving problems, but so is carefully considering why you want to change. Some cases are clear: toxicity, violence, or risk to your wellbeing…

I used to work at a telemarketing company back in Kansas City. Really, it was just a room full of kids like me who, dropped out of school, couldn’t get better jobs and got paid minimum wage to harass people on the phone until they agreed to let a real…

Language is a tool. We use tools to build. However, some tools break. Some tools aren’t right for the job. Sometimes, no matter how many powerful tools you have on hand, the task is simply too great. Sure, I have a hammer and some screwdrivers at home, but I can’t…

I read a poem recently wherein the speaker longed for their lover like the body longs for nourishment. The relationship between food and emotional fulfillment is an interesting one. Recently, I was discussing this kind of relationship with my partner, but we were talking about the relationship between food and…

My partner, who is a non-native English speaker, suggested I try approaching my poems with more accessible language. One of the (many) criticisms I received when I was working on my MFA in grad school was that the language I used was too difficult. It was trying to do too…

When you’re financially secure, new beginnings can be a blessing in disguise. With the right perspective, it’s a way to rethink things and start fresh. When you’re broke, there are no new beginnings; only the same old ends. If you’re financially secure and lose your job like I did recently…

My mother was a self-help fangirl. In the 80s and 90s, the subject of mental health was treated like a kind of newly discovered disease and the publishing industry raced to capitalize on the demand for books on the topic. The so-called, “Me” Generation encountered new taxonomies of meaning and…

Now, it’s normal. While I’m always aware of how my words might impact my career goals, nowadays, you can mostly talk about mental health without fear. As a “X-ennial,” the rarest of the generational labels, born on the cusp between Gen-X and Millennials, I grew up having open conversations about…

I walked along the cracked and neglected sidewalks as the sun disappeared behind the shingled rooftops, leaving behind it an otherworldly, green hue that lingered in the trees. It was dusk and, as I rounded the corner onto my street, I saw the garage door of my house lit up by the headlights of Jennifer’s pink, 1990 Geo Tracker. It sat idling in the driveway, as Jennifer stood on the front stoop, lighting one of her menthol cigarettes.