Many of us construct intricate facades for ourselves — we practice so often in the mirror, we start to believe in them. But we never fully do. I am driven. I am strong. I am OK. I am happy. Obviously. …Can’t...

“The line is way too long. This is the absolute worst! It will take forever to get through this!” used to be my reaction.  Before I got sick, bemoaning traffic or agonizing over a torn dress seam...

Sitting across the table from a couple family friends, the knot in my stomach tightened with excitement as I heard them exclaim, “College is going to be the best four years of your life!” The wistful...

My mother taught me to be tolerant. Never in my life have I thought of being any other way, all because of her. The first time I witnessed bullying, it shocked me so much that I thought I had simply misread...

I took last semester off. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. In my case, it was a medical leave, due to joint pain so disabling I needed months to diagnose and fix it. My family and I eventually...