Evolve or remain.

I've been working on my coming book, "Mother Nature I Am Hungry-- NOTES TO THE UNIVERSE" for going on three years now. And because I know you're getting ready to ask me what the book is about, it's very difficult to explain it to you in a way that makes it sound like anything you'd ever walk towards and pick up off of a bookshelf. It's very hard to summarize the things I've written about in as few words as possible for fear of losing your attention. It's hard to tell you that it's a book of poetry and short stories about my life experiences because you have no reason to want to read that- and I can't blame you. So instead of getting frustrated with you for not wanting to read the things I write, and instead of talking myself down as I come to the realization that I might be the only person who will ever have an appreciation for the book once it exists, I'm going to educate you about how it came to be an idea at all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~...

"You used to be so nice," is something I've heard aimed at me in an accusatory tone more than I care to admit in the recent months, as I've increased the number of instances in which I speak my mind and share my opinions. They say it, more often than not, in a way that sounds like my accusers have developed a mixed emotion of anger, hated and disappointment towards the person I've become. What's funny is that who I am hasn't changed. At all. It's not that I'm meaner now than I used to be. It's that I've gained self-respect. It's not that I've become indifferent or that my heart has gone cold. It's that I've stopped tolerating bullshit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I used to let people walk all over me. I used to tolerate emotional abuse and shrug off things that hurt like hell. I used to let people get away with saying horribly destructive things to me and about me. I used...

I've shared a lot of my #selflovejourney anywhere and everywhere since I started it, but seeing as it is such a big part of how I've gotten to be who I am today I feel like I ought to sit down and tell you why I've added a second part. A title. I feel like you should know why I call myself a "human experience enthusiast" now. More than a handful of people have heard me use the term as I've attempted to describe myself time and time again. And almost every time without fail, as soon as I've spoken the last syllable, the inevitable question gets asked. "What does that even mean?" And they aren't wrong to ask. If someone used those words to describe themselves to me, I wouldn't know how to even begin to respond. That's why I chose the words I did. They initiate conversation. They spark questions. They provide a platform from which I can begin to preach the ways I think and the ways I feel. They allow people to get me, in a wa...

This past Friday night around 9:15 p.m., I was sitting in a board game coffee shop drinking hot cocoa and playing Scrabble with my best friend. Less than half an hour later, I got shot. Yeah. You read that right. Almost no details are certain, other than that I'm perfectly okay now despite a nasty welt on my abdomen and leftover adrenaline from the intense shock. I suck at parallel parking, which was the only option in front of the shop- so instead I parked in a lot just a block away from the shop. A safe spot for sure, or so I thought, due to a show going on at the theater down the road and couples here and there on the sidewalks. We were walking back to the lot to head home around 9:40 when a car sped past and we both heard loud "POP" sounds. No more than a second later, I felt something pierce my lower abdomen. "What the F*** was that!?" I asked my friend as I jumped at the shock of both the loud sound and the pain of being hit. "I think it was...

I've been breathing a lot more lately, and I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that because breathing is a crucial element in the concept of staying alive, me telling you that I'm breathing is BEYOND obvious. Right? Wrong. In and of itself, breathing is the easiest thing to do. It's done implicitly- without thought and without effort. Easy. Insignificant. But the act isn't the only thing I'm talking about. I'm talking about sitting down and really focusing on giving myself time to B R E A T H E. But it's hard to remember to give myself time to breathe when I'm frantically finishing homework assignments, driving from job to job, constantly chasing new stories, keeping track of finances, making sure deadlines are met, dedicating time to my own creative writing, checking my agenda every five minutes to make sure I don't forget about social obligations, spending enough time with my family, and remembering to eat something so I...