Fifteen years ago on his Bigger Bang tour Mick Jagger found me between a rock and a hard place, in a crossfire hurricane. Preloaded, titrating, kissing perfect strangers. Ooh, a storm is threatening my very life today. If I don’t get some shelter Ooh Yeah, I’m going to fade away During Jumpin’ Jack Flash I stood on a chair … Continue Reading
Studying Japanese has helped me make online pen pals through apps like HelloTalk, and I’ve been able to connect to a rich culture that is so unlike my own. Studying Spanish has helped me connect to my own culture as I was raised by my Venezuelan mother. It’s also opened new opportunities for me as … Continue Reading
What I find intriguing is how the soul-identity of a person living with dementia is incrementally, imperceptibly transferred for safe keeping with loved ones. Personhood is conferred less and less by actual cognitive prowess and character and more and more through social bonds. This type of transcendence is completed when we pass on and leave behind … Continue Reading
Disclaimer: This article contains references to disturbing childhood experiences. Reader discretion is advised. Fear is a powerful emotion that shapes our behavior and can dictate the way that we live our lives. For those of us trapped in a cycle of fear, the pain can be relentless. I have lived with fear since early childhood, … Continue Reading
One of the most frustrating things about inspiration is that you cannot find it as easily as looking at its Estimated Time of Arrival on a flight itinerary. I know the taxing and excruciating feeling of having my senses, mind, and spirit subdued by a tedious unending inconvenience, hindering my accessibility to the next stage … Continue Reading
A few years ago, I left my dream job. My work was fulfilling and rewarding. I had great relationships with my co-workers, but my boss was toxic. One day my boss would give me gifts and compliment my abilities. The next day she would threaten to fire me. Her moods rose and fell like the … Continue Reading
When I think about the impact that psychedelics have had on my life, it’s difficult to overstate their significance. What started out as a relatively innocent curiosity into minutely perturbing my consciousness 7 years ago has led to an unimaginable unfolding of eye-opening events. My journey with psychedelic experiences began with cannabis while I was … Continue Reading
We spend our days preoccupied with endless thoughts of the future and dwellings on the past. When it is the dead of winter, we wish for the warmth of spring. When it is the blazing days of summer, we wish for the cool autumn winds. When we are at a noisy party, we wish to … Continue Reading
Addiction; Predator and Prey When an eagle seizes a salmon too heavy to carry yet its talons cannot release it, they both plummet. The predator becomes prey of the sea. My dearest friend lost her 39 year old son in this epidemic of poisonings with the contaminant Fentanyl. He was addicted to heroin; with compulsions, lack … Continue Reading
Bipolar Alcoholism I once self-medicated with alcohol but now have 13 years of sobriety. I’m a 57 yr old mother of 3 with 2 grandsons. Thirty-eight years have been spent as the wife of a saint. I’m a daughter, sister, friend, teacher, mentor, and colleague. Many people have been affected by my soul sickness. Besides … Continue Reading
