Tag: love
-
The Loneliness of the Unaligned

I lost a friend over a protest I did not attend. Not because I mocked the cause. Not because I stood on the other side of the street with a rival sign. I simply would not go. I will not outsource my conscience to a crowd, even a righteous-feeling one. The invitation was not really…
-
Cultivating Connection: Building Spaces for the ‘Other’

There have been many times in my life when I felt off—like the “other” in the room. It showed up in social settings, and it showed up in family ones too. I was simply different, and of course the old fan favorite: weird. I never knew what to do with that growing up. Adulthood has…
-
Thanks, Pain, and the Slow Mountain

Thanksgiving is almost here, and my body is falling apart. Perfect timing. This year the arthritis in my neck wakes me at 3 a.m. like a landlord collecting late rent. The left knee clicks when I climb stairs. My lower back has filed an official grievance. I’m not old—not yet—but I’m definitely in the foothills…
