I saw life fill the listless. — I saw life fill the listless. My first concert was an outdoor music festival featuring several acts. But the only one I remember seeing that day was TLC. I remember them because I’d never seen anyone like them. The animated bravado, the candor, and the unapologetic nature of their presence…

Thus, it can not have me. — My grandmother always talked about her “ship coming in.” It would happen someday. She was certain. To support this belief, she enrolled in a local college after having 10 children and helping to raise several grandchildren, me and my younger brother included. She was the oldest student in all her…

Lessons are everywhere if we’re looking to learn. — The bathroom in a condo I was renting had the most awful shower head. It came with three settings: bearable, rip your skin off water pressure, and barely a drizzle. I chose the bearable setting most days. …

You don’t have to know the messenger to receive the message. — My grandmother gave me only one piece of relationship advice, repeatedly throughout her 79 years of life — “treat people how you want to be treated.” Imagine if everyone lived by this principle and made it a point to live and love with integrity. …

If we’re being honest. — I can hold a twenty-pound weight over my head with one arm, easy, for about 60 seconds. At that mark, my arm starts to get tired. It may tremble as the weight begins to feel heavier than it is. …

For you will always find what you seek. — I don’t want to talk about red flags anymore — what you should “look out” for and the reasons you shouldn’t get close to people or let them get close to you. I’m weary of lamenting all the different ways others will let us down. It’s exhausting, searching for the…

Bless the day when those lost are found. — I wonder if she can feel the way my heart aches. How it breaks with the shame of inadequacy. She must notice when my shallow breathing starts to shake. When she drops her head against my chest, I worry she’ll see through my amateur fumblings and know that I’ve never…

The powerhouse singer allows listeners to join her on a journey toward healing. — Often, when a woman displays vulnerability, she’s liable to be labeled “weak.” If offended, she’s whining. We’ve connected her strength to stoicism in the face of what ails her. Oh, but don’t be TOO strong, or it becomes threatening. So many constraints, so little sense. Which is why I find…

Reasons may vary, but the result is the same. — I think I’ve been love bombed. I think you have too. It’s so common that anyone who’s dated more than one or two people has likely endured the emotionally jolting experience. All we’ve done in recent years is give it a name. “Love bombing is an attempt to accelerate the…