Quitting addictive substances will test your resolve, mind, and spirit — When I decided to quit smoking marijuana thirty days ago, I knew it would be a tough month. I failed to predict that isolation and sobriety would bring me to one of the darkest places I’ve been since childhood. 2005 I’m sitting in my college dorm, and it’s the middle of…

A poem about life lessons from Star Wars — Like Luke against Darth Vader’s Death Star life gives you only one shot. But unless you are Luke the Jedi Knight, your first shot will be your worst. You’ll miss the target because your focus is too narrow or wide. Yoda said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” …

Its reach is sometimes so pervasive I fail to see the signs of depression — I am depressed. I have been depressed for… Months? Years? My whole life? I don’t even know anymore. I thought I was okay this time—as in the time after I last succumbed to depression. I always think I’m okay this time. Then, slowly, I stop sleeping and showering. Stop eating…

Being fierce is a survival skill, and I’m kind—enough. — To tally up the number of times I’ve been told I’m unapproachable, too serious, or too angry, I’d need time that does not exist. As an adoptee, I was often told to “smile and be grateful.” I could argue it was a theme of my childhood. I was told to…

Change comes, no matter for whom — the hands of Time will pull us under like a quicksand trap hidden and dangerous to unaware passerby It will stop within a wish and start upon a dream It will miss nothing and everything at once we are reduced to ashes still, we walk with one another dawn disintegrates…

You’re always an outsider, no matter how much a family tries to welcome you. — I have a picture of my biological parents before I was born. They’re in Hawaii and appear to be a happy couple. Each time I’ve looked at the image, I try to see myself in their faces, but I can’t. I have pictures of my biological father and his siblings…

A poem — Your wild, weary soul needs peaceful rest It longs to find a home — its cozy nest The fragile Self is but a fledgling bird Wishing to fly away from the absurd You are wracked with thinking you know what’s best But living life well means there’s no contest Between your heart…

The Art of Living teaches that pain is a natural part of growth. — Your wild, weary soul needs peaceful rest It longs to find a home—its cozy nest The fragile Self is but a fledgling bird Wishing to fly away from the absurd You are wracked with thinking you know what’s best But living life well means there’s no contest Between your heart and soul…

We are not taken seriously often enough, and it’s life-threatening. — Having a C-section is a weird experience. You know what is happening but can feel none of it. When I heard the cries, I was relieved. After the doctor checked out my baby and deemed him a ten, they handed him over to me. It was the only time I…