My feelings of inadequacy came honest. There have been few people in my life I’ve ever been good enough for. I don’t mean coaches or teachers, their feedback was always welcomed. It’s the parents, aunts and uncles, friends and boyfriends that heaped the feeling on me. I’ve always felt like the “maybe if…” friend. “Yeah,…
Depression
My *Actual* Iris Awards Acceptance Speech
When I sat down at my table for the Iris Awards, it never occurred to me that I might have to be prepared to deliver a well-thought and eloquent speech as I accepted an Iris Award for my writing. I was up against four other women who are eloquent word wizards, one of which is…
My Life is the Culmination of Many Decisions Based Upon Fear
I’ve come to realize recently that I’ve made most of the decisions in my life from a place of fear. I’m not an overly fearful person, I’m not a worrier really, so trying to wrap my brain around this adjective as one that describes me has been an exhausting journey. I guess the best way…
My Mind is a Graveyard of Great Ideas
I am one of the luckiest people in the world. Sure life is crazy and things don’t always go my way. Sure, having a life worth living is a constant decision of YES, I’m going to make this thing happen, but I’m really lucky, especially where friends are concerned. A photo posted by Summer…
The Key to Happiness is . . .
I want you to stop and think for a minute, about the things that make you happy. What is it for you? What gives you that bubbly, my cup runneth over feeling of happiness? If your answer was of something tangible, I want you to listen closely. Try to follow along the best you can….
I Hear Voices & They’re Loud, Obnoxious, and Difficult to Ignore
I’ve never been diagnosed schizophrenic, but some days I wonder. I’m not overly paranoid or anything, but I talk to myself – a lot. Maybe that’s just a function of being a creative, but I spent a lot of my youth making up songs when someone would walk in the room and catch me ranting…
Things I Know to be True
For me, looking back on 2015 is going to be a lot like looking at my favorite rollercoaster being destroyed by a tornado seconds after I get off the ride. It was a year full of great things and a year marked by difficulty and tragedy. In November I lamented about how I refused to look…
Why I Won’t Stop Talking About Robin William’s Death
Robin Williams has been dead for 24 hours and people are already talking about how insignificant his death is, how ridiculous it is that people are mourning his death, how stupid people are for focusing on the death of a celebrity rather than the turmoil in the Middle East. I have a few friends who…
The Confident Girl’s Struggle with Confidence
With all this confidence talk, you’d think that I’m confident in myself all the time, right? Well, you’d be wrong. And I’d be a liar if I didn’t talk about my struggles with confidence. One of my philosophies is that the day you stop growing is the day you die. Maybe it’s not the day…
Where I Compare Myself to Queen Elsa
My own life is amazing to me. Most of the time I feel like I’m on the outside looking in to my own world. I’m very detached from my own feelings and have been for as long as I can remember. My family thinks I’m cold, my friends think I’m one of the most warm…