Columns

Preparing for Surgery, I Search for a New Mantra

I like the saying, “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” but I think it’s overused. We should come up with other phrases that mean the same thing so that the idea doesn’t become too cliché. People can pick whatever words they prefer, based on their own situation. All that…

Having a Body Is a Full-time Job

“One thing’s for sure,” I tell my dad. “This is going to make a great column.” I’d been dreading this doctor’s appointment for days, and not just because of the hell that is commuting during the winter. The last time I was at this clinic, a neurologist questioned whether…

Staying Organized Helps Me Simplify Life With SMA

Before I dive into this column about how the art of organization keeps my life balanced, I believe a disclaimer is necessary. After all, no matter the number of “Queer Eye” episodes I watch and self-help books I read, or the amount of inspiration I get…

Powering Up (and Out) for Another Year

Goodness, that didn’t take long. We’re already closing in on the middle of the first month of another new year. For most, 2021 felt like a tedious extension of the calamitous year before it. Oh, 2020, I hope never to see a year of your ilk again.

My Year of Liberation

When it comes to rituals, I am religious. Weekly rituals are the shortest, and consist largely of short-term planning. Monthly and quarterly rituals, on the other hand, are more reflective. Instead of updating my calendar and to-do list, I journal about my values. I revisit the goals I…

‘Don’t Quit Before the Miracle Happens’

“I’m doing good, I’m on some new s**t/ Been saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no.’” These lyrics opened Taylor Swift’s song “the 1” and her 2020 album “Folklore.” I thought them fitting to open my first column of the new year…