My heart physically hurts today. And for good reason. Today I am looking at an ugly truth about myself and it doesn’t feel good. The truth I’m digesting is that I am not a good friend. Once again, I let down friends who were counting on me. I said I would do something and I … Read More
I peeled an orange the other day. The skin was thick and difficult to remove, which meant I unintentionally squished the fruit inside, repeatedly plunging my fingers into the flesh and each time muttering “goddamn it.” In short, I made a mess. I still ate the orange, the bright citrus tang on my tongue, but … Read More
A lot of what I end up writing about is what it’s like to live with severe depression with a side of anxiety, so today I want to share some personal triumphs. 1.) Because I’ve been living in darkness, emotionally speaking, for a long time now, I finally went to a psychiatrist. She told me … Read More
Yesterday there was another mass shooting. Last I heard, the death toll was at least 59, with hundreds of additional people being treated for gun shot wounds. This act of terrorism was committed by one man. One white man, it should be noted, who committed suicide before the police could take him down. How he … Read More
It takes true compassion to be understanding when someone is struggling and it affects your dinner plans.
Recently there were a few days when I was constantly involved in at least one argument with at least one white man at a time on Facebook. The arguments were about whether the Charlottesville white supremacists should be protected as free speech by the first amendment, and whether Tina Fey’s “sheet caking” sketch missed the … Read More
A few months ago, Ijeoma Oluo wrote a piece called “White People: I Don’t Want You to Understand Me Better, I Want You to Understand Yourselves.” I read everything she writes, but I’ll be honest, this one I didn’t read right away. I knew it would be painful and challenging and beautiful, like everything she … Read More
Unless you are completely checked out or blissfully unaware of the world around you, you have heard about the stabbings that happened in Portland last week. Here’s a brief recap, in case you fit in one of those categories. A complete dickhead who is a known white supremacist, got on a train in Portland wielding … Read More
I wrote this poem about my uncle several months ago, but added a little to the end because he took his own life a few days ago. Some who were close to him called him “Benny,” hence the name of the poem. Rest in peace, Uncle John. Benny My uncle was apparently some kind of rugby … Read More
I am pretty sure you’ve been sitting around wondering, “What does Jen think about this whole Ed Murray situation?” So, I will give you the gift of my semi-informed opinion. If you don’t live in Seattle or if you live in Seattle but are either Amish or somehow otherwise disconnected from all news and information, … Read More