Fear is easy. It is easy to let worry consume us. To let fear tear us down. To let hopelessness dissolve our energy. It is hard to be brave, to be optimistic, to be bold in both speech and action. So if today is a day that fear wins, that you curl up beneath your blankets, turn off the news and close the blinds, I understand. I understand that you cannot be strong every day. You can’t win every battle... and sometimes you simply don’t have the wherewithal to even start some b

I have been in a massive debate for months because of COVID-19 about whether or not I should take my trip out to the west coast to see my family for my momma’s 60th birthday. My Europe trip has been canceled, I didn’t go on my NOLA trip, and traveling in general is highly discouraged right now... But this trip was a big deal: a surprise the family had been planning since last fall. So. I went. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did. I wore my mask and gloves, and flew Delta (which

I don't remember ever talking about mental health in school. The closest thing to a mental illness that we discussed were eating disorders. I remember hearing the words 'depression' and 'anxiety' but I didn't realize for a very long time that they were diseases. I didn't know you could be diagnosed with such. I thought anxiety was just another way of saying stressed... that came with the holidays, with errands, with mortgage payments, that type of thing! I didn't know that so