(image) “You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome, but you can control how you deal with it.” ~Unknown I recently moved to Florida, a decision thirty years in the making. Growing up in Haiti, I always longed to return to a warm climate. I remember being on our layover in Miami when we first moved to the States and thinking, “Why don’t we just stay here?” Moving to Boston at ten, the cold rain was a shock, and I’ve been dreaming of […]

(image) “The less we talk about shame, the more control it has over our lives.” ~Brené Brown The pain and suffering I experienced as a child, which I kept hidden for over a decade, was the very seed that gave me the strength, resilience, empathy, authenticity, and courage that I possess today—but only because I surrendered the old story to embrace a new one. I alchemized my pain into my fuel, my traumas as contributions to my triumphs, and my curses into my greatest blessings. But all […]

(image) “Perfectionism is the exhausting state of pretending to know it all and have it all together, all the time. I’d rather be a happy mess than an anxious stress case who’s always trying to hide my flaws and mistakes.” ~Lori Deschene When I got my start as a math teacher, it was 2012, and I had not been in a classroom in over ten years. I really wasn’t sure how teaching got done anymore. I came into my first class with a piece of paper and […]

(image) “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” ~Rumi A few months ago, someone I had dated briefly seven years ago reached out to apologize for his past behavior. Many of us know how being ghosted can evoke a mix of frustration, bursts of anger, and an underlying sense of utter powerlessness. Degrees of intensity can vary, of course, depending on the depth of the relationship and personal circumstances. This was not one of those heart-wrenching cases, and in a way, an apology seemed […]

(image) “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ~Nathaniel Branden I felt lost. I felt broken. I felt scared. As I sat alone in that cold, dark jail cell, I felt like I had hit rock bottom. My feet chilled against the cold stone floor. The creaky wooden bench, stitched together with narrow strips, tormented me. Inmates shouted all around me. Their voices echoed in the dark. It was like the noise of the outside world had finally caught up with the […]

(image) “I chose sober because I wanted a better life. I stay sober because I got one.” ~Anonymous Seven years ago, I never thought I would be able to say that I have been six years sober! I didn’t think I was physically addicted. I never got the shakes, never morning drank, never drank daily unless on vacation, never got a DUI (even though that was lucky), and never lost a job or a relationship because of drinking. I was, however, incredibly emotionally and mentally addicted. I am fifty-six years old […]