Mental Health, Messiness, and Me
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I find myself lying on my mother’s bed, thinking. I have been doing this thing when I am walking or driving and stuck in traffic, where I look at people and try to figure out what they are thinking. Who is wondering what they are going home to? Another person is thinking about whether they should buy that flour if it means walking to work. Another is wondering whether it is worth being alive. Another person, you can see the joy in their e
Lessons from The Alchemist
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist Santiago There are some books you read once and move on from, and then there are books that ask you to come back when you are ready to truly listen. Recently, I had the privilege of reading The Alchemist again. I had read it before, but if I am honest with myself, I do not think I paid attention with the intensity the book requires. This time was different.
Grace, Growth, and Surviving 2025
I’ve realized something about myself: I write best either in the middle of the night, when the world is asleep, and my thoughts are loud, or somewhere in the countryside, where silence does half the work for me. So, guess which one won today? It’s my birthday. Miaka ingine ata staki kusema. Let’s just say I’ve lived long enough to have back pain from bad sitting positions and wisdom that came from pure suffering. As tradition dictates, I always have something to say about the
