I don't want to fight, but you punish my honesty with silence and absence. I don't want to fight, but I hear so much in the things you're not saying. I don't want to fight, but you've been dropping balls left and right. I don't want to fight, but you're suddenly too busy for everyday things and only give me vague excuses and thinly constructed lines about why. I … [Read more...] about I don’t want to fight
My father encouraged me to speak out
"Never let anyone tell you you're wrong when you're right, mija," my father said to me often when I was growing up. What he meant was that I needed to stand up for myself no matter who it was I was standing against. That I needed to speak out when necessary. To him this was more than just words. My parents stood by me in the third grade when I was sent home for getting … [Read more...] about My father encouraged me to speak out
the things I hate right now
I hate that she seems so frail ... when I look at her I can see the weakness and not the strength. I hate that she seems so old ... when I'm with her all I notice are the signs of the passage of time. I hate how she makes me feel ... impatient, exasperated, guilty, and tired. I hate that all her requests are emergencies ... there's never any planning, everything is … [Read more...] about the things I hate right now
You can’t say “pee” and “poop” to your friends
I was a sickly child. I'm a sickly adult. Allergies. Migraines. Delicate stomach. Weak ankles. Anxiety. Problems sleeping. Snoring loudly. Frequent cavities. Arthritis. Mild carpal tunnel. A pinched disc. Colds that last 6+ weeks. And many many other things. I get sick a lot. I stay sick longer than is usually expected for the malady I'm suffering. And I'm not … [Read more...] about You can’t say “pee” and “poop” to your friends
the girl who cried “rain!”
I lived through Tropical Storms Allison and Harvey, both of which inundated the city with more water than I thought was possible. I lived here for Hurricanes Alicia and Ike. And I've seen what just an hour of hard rain can do to otherwise safe streets. I have a healthy respect for rain and have learned to take advisories of inclement weather seriously. So when my favorite … [Read more...] about the girl who cried “rain!”