Seasons of the Spirit

Journal Entry: Bipolar Seasons of the Spirit

Mornings feel like unwrapped gifts, brimming with possibility. I wake up light as a snowflake, happy for no reason other than the fact that I’m here, that there’s coffee to brew, birds to hear, and thoughts to chase like kids in the snow. The world feels open—like the start of a holiday parade, where everything sparkles with anticipation. I’m a child on Christmas morning, giddy for what the day might bring.  

But by night, the spirit shifts. The lights dim, the cheer fades, and a deep seriousness settles in, heavy as the weight of a snowdrift. I think about everything I could have done better, the gifts I haven’t given, the kindnesses I forgot to show. Regret visits like a ghost of holidays past, whispering reminders of the things I failed to wrap neatly. The joy of the morning seems so far away, like a faint star in a vast winter sky.  

I apologize to everyone, to everything, to the whole of my existence. Sorry for not always being able to keep that morning magic alive. Sorry for my moments of selfishness, for my silences when I should have spoken, and for speaking when silence was needed.  

But even in my seriousness, there’s love. The kind that feels like sitting by a fire after a long, cold day. I want to wrap everyone in that warmth and whisper, "To all a good night." Because even if I wrestle with my own fleeting seasons—happy in the morning, somber at night—I know they’re both pieces of the same gift.  

Tomorrow, there’ll be another morning, another chance to unwrap joy. But tonight, I close my eyes and let the weight of the day settle, soft and still, like snow blanketing the earth.

The Universe’s Plan

The Universe’s Plan

Life’s journey often feels like a puzzle, and for centuries, people have turned to tradition and religion to find guidance and purpose. Yet, beyond these structures, there’s a compelling idea: the universe itself may have a plan for us.  This suggests that our existence is part of a grander tapestry—an intricate web of events, connections, and experiences. We’re not just here by chance; we’re here to help resolve that plan, contributing in ways both big and small to the ever-evolving story of the cosmos.  

This perspective encourages us to see our lives as meaningful threads in a vast design. Every action, decision, and interaction ripples outward, influencing the larger whole. When we embrace this idea, we’re inspired to act with intention and compassion, knowing that even our smallest efforts may serve a greater purpose.  

So, as we navigate our days, let’s remember that our role in the universe’s plan isn’t about perfection or grandeur—it’s about connection, growth, and a willingness to play our part. After all, the universe’s plan unfolds through each of us, one moment at a time.

We live with a paradox: we have the freedom to choose our path, yet we exist within a complex and ever-changing tapestry of connections. Every intention we set, every decision we make, and every interaction we have weaves into this grand design.

Our freedom is not isolated. It harmonizes—or sometimes clashes—with the intentions of others. Together, these threads form a collective fabric, rich with the textures of shared experiences, mutual growth, and evolving relationships.

This interconnectedness doesn’t diminish our individuality; instead, it enhances it. Our unique contributions, when aligned with others, create patterns of beauty and meaning. Even the discordant moments, the times when intentions conflict, are part of this dynamic, living artwork. They challenge us, teach us, and ultimately make the tapestry more vibrant and resilient.

In this way, our freedom is both personal and shared. We shape the world around us while being shaped by it. The harmonies we create with others ripple outward, adding depth and color to the lives we touch.

By embracing this interplay, we can find purpose in our choices and joy in our connections, knowing that our freedom, when expressed with intention and care, enriches not just our own story but the grand, unfolding story of all.

Smooth Sailing

Journal Entry: Remembering My Father

It’s strange, how memories work. Even when someone we love is no longer here, they somehow remain—woven into the fabric of everything we are, of everything we see. Appearing in dreams, with his strong hands, and powerful presence. I find myself keeping the faith that my father is still out there, somewhere. Not gone, but waiting, sailing on a sea that stretches endlessly, beyond what we can imagine. I still have visions of him on his boat, gliding smoothly over the water, following the wind.

I like to think that this is what he’s doing now in the universe: navigating the winds and waves with the same quiet confidence he always had. And one day, he’ll call for me again, and I’ll be ready to help take down the sails, just like before. I was never the one guiding the boat, with his strong muscles at the tiller,  I was there to pull up the bright, billowing colors and, on the way home, as they came down, carefully pack them up for the next time we were ready to head out on the water together, as a family.

These memories—they feel like anchors, keeping him close. It comforts me, thinking that in some way, he’s still out there, and that I’ll join him again someday, to sail together on that endless sea. Until then, I carry his love and his spirit with me, a part of every journey I take.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day: A Time to Connect, Unite, and Honor Service and Sacrifice
Veterans are truly the threads that connect us, uniting people across diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Their service, sacrifices, and courage remind us of shared values—duty, honor, and resilience—that transcend individual differences and bring us together. Honoring veterans allows us to reflect on these values and express gratitude for the freedoms and security they have helped protect.

When we gather to recognize veterans’ contributions, we strengthen our bonds as a community and a nation. This act of recognition isn’t just about the past; it’s about the present and future, as we build a culture that values sacrifice, loyalty, and unity. Whether through small, everyday acknowledgments or nationwide events, honoring veterans reminds us of the enduring importance of service to others and reaffirms our shared commitment to each other and the country.

Let’s continue to carry forward the spirit of respect, appreciation, and connection that veterans inspire, making sure they know their sacrifices are seen, valued, and honored by a grateful nation.

On Veterans Day, we gather to reflect on the courage and commitment of our nation’s veterans—those who have served and sacrificed to safeguard our freedoms. This is a day to honor the people who put duty before self, often enduring great hardships in the name of service. But Veterans Day is more than just a day of remembrance; it’s an opportunity to connect, unite, and educate, sharing the stories of those who have defended our way of life.

Veterans are not only a part of our past but also a crucial bridge to understanding the values that hold us together as a nation. Through their experiences, we gain insights into moments of history that have shaped our society. Listening to veterans’ stories—from tales of camaraderie and resilience to accounts of challenges faced on and off the battlefield—helps us grasp the human side of these historical events. By learning about their service, we can better understand the full scope of what it means to serve one’s country.

Veterans Day is also a time to address what the word “veteran” really means. For some, it brings to mind images of heroes in uniform, but there’s a broader definition that spans generations, backgrounds, and roles. Veterans are not defined by a single identity; they are people from all walks of life who answered the call to serve. Each has contributed uniquely, whether through acts of courage in combat, dedication in humanitarian efforts, or commitment to duty in peacetime.

By sharing and learning about veterans’ experiences, we can strengthen our understanding of the sacrifices they’ve made. These stories have the power to unite us, transcending political and social differences, to honor the shared values that make our country stronger. This Veterans Day, let’s remember to listen, learn, and connect. In honoring their service, we deepen our own sense of community and responsibility toward each other and those who have served. Together, we can ensure their legacies live on and continue to inspire future generations.

Our Government

Our Government

Having a new president is kind of like getting a new teacher or principal at school – it’s exciting because they start something new and we get to try different ways of doing things. They’re there to help us try out some new ideas, to see if they make life better for everyone.

So, what kinds of ideas are we talking about? Well, the government is made up of people that come up with rules about things like where we can go, what things should cost, and ways to keep everyone safe and happy. Some ideas are about things like making sure we have clean water to drink or making parks and playgrounds safe. Other ideas are about things like making sure people are treated fairly or helping people get better jobs.

If people don’t like a rule, they talk about it – just like when we come together to discuss rules at school. People might say, “This isn’t fair!” or “Here’s a better way!” And if enough people agree, they can take a vote to see if they want to try something new. The cool part is, we don’t stop trying. If one idea doesn’t work, the government listens and keeps working on new ideas until they find something that helps as many people as possible.

In the end, the government is kind of like a team. They might not always get it right the first time, but they’re always trying, we never give up on each other, just like when we’re learning something new. And everyone gets to be a part of it in some way. That’s how we keep working together to make the world a little better, day by day.

Outsider Empathy

Further Exploration: Navigating Outsider Empathy

Empathy is a bridge, and sometimes the journey to reach the other side is more complex than we expect. Today, I’m exploring what it means to empathize with experiences that aren’t my own—realities lived by others that I can’t fully grasp because they don’t align with my own background, identity, or personal history. Whether it’s a man attempting to understand a woman’s or a transgender person’s life experiences, or someone from one cultural background trying to relate to another, the challenge is the same: how do we engage authentically without overstepping, stereotyping, or unintentionally overshadowing the people we want to understand?

The Delicate Balance of Curiosity and Humility

At its core, empathy isn’t about knowing what someone else goes through—it’s about acknowledging what we don’t know and remaining open to learning. It’s a delicate balance, though. Curiosity fuels empathy, yet it’s easy to misstep, to let that curiosity turn into assumptions or, worse, appropriation. I think that when we want to understand what a friend, stranger, or group of people go through, we have to be ready to remain quiet more than we speak, and to be observant more than we assume.

This journey to understand others requires us to adopt a posture of humility, of active listening. When a man wants to empathize with women, for instance, his task isn’t to jump in with “I know how that feels.” Instead, it’s about observing the nuances in everyday interactions, the specific challenges women face that are often invisible to men. It’s asking respectful questions but also accepting that some parts of the experience may never be fully accessible to him, no matter how much he tries.

Facing Vulnerability and Missteps

A major barrier in empathizing with an experience outside our own is the discomfort of inevitable missteps. When we reach out to understand another’s reality, there’s a significant chance that we’ll say something wrong or reveal our biases. This can be awkward, and if we’re sensitive to criticism, it can feel disheartening, even humiliating. But learning from these experiences—rather than shutting down or recoiling in defensiveness—is part of the journey. 

Take, for example, the experience of a cisgender person trying to understand what it’s like to be transgender. The effort to relate and connect often leads to awkward moments or questions that may unintentionally center the cisgender person’s perspective rather than respectfully illuminate the transgender person’s lived experience. The vulnerability here is recognizing these errors and not shying away from the lesson, knowing that mistakes are a part of growth. There’s a difference between wanting to learn and needing to validate your own effort; empathy asks us to set aside our own validation for the sake of truly understanding another person.

Empathy as a Practice, Not a Performance

It’s essential to remember that empathy isn’t about “getting it right” for recognition or validation; it’s about authentic connection. When we move through the world with the intent to understand others, it’s not for the purpose of proving that we are “good” or “woke.” It’s for the purpose of expanding our awareness and deepening our humanity. There’s an urge to turn empathy into a performance—to be the person who “gets it,” who is outwardly praised for their insight or understanding. But authentic empathy, I think, happens when no one is watching. It’s a personal practice, a quiet reorienting of our minds and hearts towards openness and nonjudgment.

Recognizing Limits Without Building Walls

A critical part of outsider empathy is recognizing that we may never fully understand someone else’s perspective, no matter how hard we try. Rather than discouraging us, though, I think this acknowledgment of limits can deepen our empathy. By realizing we can never fully grasp what it’s like to be a woman facing sexism, a person of color encountering systemic prejudice, or someone who is transgender navigating their identity in a binary world, we move into a space of respect. We can engage from a place of support, rather than acting as though we can somehow “fix” or change someone’s reality through our understanding.

Knowing our limits doesn’t mean building walls, though. It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming we can never truly relate to anyone outside our own experience and retreating into our respective worlds. But true empathy transcends the boundaries of full understanding; it lives in the effort, in the willingness to learn and, most importantly, to support.

In the End, It’s About Connection

Our attempts to connect beyond our personal experiences are what make us human. When I think of what empathy really is, I see it as reaching out a hand into the unknown. It’s trying to meet someone on their ground and on their terms. It’s accepting that we might never fully grasp the intricacies of someone else’s life, yet deciding to hold space for them in our hearts.

Outsider empathy, then, is less about comprehension and more about presence. We’re not here to invade each other’s experiences or narrate someone else’s story. We’re here to witness, support, and occasionally reflect back the light of understanding in ways that deepen our collective humanity. To grow in this practice is to constantly renew our humility and curiosity, to learn from our errors, and to keep stretching our awareness—both inward and outward—in the hopes of bridging the gaps between us.

Our Skin

Self-Image, Health, and the Battle Against Fat Phobia: Learning to Love Ourselves

Fat phobia is everywhere—in social media feeds, in offhand comments, in the "before" and "after" obsession of fitness culture. And while the science behind body size, health, and self-image has grown more nuanced, society has a lot of catching up to do.

Our culture has long equated thinness with health and beauty and has vilified weight gain as a sign of laziness or even failure. The truth is, though, it’s far from that simple. Weight and health are complex, interwoven with genetic factors, metabolic responses, lifestyle, and even deeper psychological roots. And yes, there are fat athletes, fat marathon runners, fat dancers, and fat people leading active, joyful lives. 

The Complexity of Weight and Health

We've grown up being taught to believe that BMI is an ultimate measure of health. In fact, weight can be a factor in health, but it isn’t the whole picture. A woman can have a "high" BMI and still have perfect blood pressure, heart scans, EKGs, and overall health. Many people metabolize nutrients differently due to factors like insulin resistance, which causes the body to hold on to more weight, especially around the midsection. Yet, we still receive oversimplified advice: "Just lose weight."

For those with insulin resistance or other metabolic issues, losing weight isn’t about willpower. It’s about biology. Weight loss in these cases is not as simple as eating less; it requires lifestyle adjustments, medication, and sometimes even medical support. 

A Legacy of Body Struggles

For many women, this struggle with weight is generational. Society's expectations are passed down like family heirlooms. A family lineage may have seen both ends of the spectrum: fat women, women with eating disorders, women fighting to find love for their bodies in a world that tells them they shouldn’t. These stories are not unique. Many women, have faced the trauma of body-shaming and restrictive ideals. 

Fat-phobia doesn’t just exist in the world; it lives within us, too. We're conditioned to see our bodies as failures if they don’t fit a thin mold. This self-directed fat phobia is so ingrained that we often self-sabotage, sometimes using food as comfort or as punishment, creating a vicious cycle of shame and coping that’s hard to break.

Health Beyond Weight: Bone Density, Metabolism, and Strength

Ironically, many assumptions about “fat” and “thin” are inaccurate, especially when it comes to health. For example, thin women are at higher risk for osteoporosis as they age, whereas plus-sized women often have better bone density, giving them greater resilience to fractures. And despite societal beliefs, weight alone isn’t a determinant of fitness. There are high-BMI individuals with the strength, endurance, and capability to outperform people with much lower BMIs. Strength, balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular health come from lifestyle and habits, not from body size alone.

Fat Phobia, Misogyny, and the Patriarchy

Fat phobia doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s deeply entangled with misogyny and societal expectations of women’s bodies. Women’s bodies are often treated as public property, scrutinized and policed by beauty standards that are, frankly, designed to make us feel inadequate. Fat phobia is yet another tool of the patriarchy, reminding women that we should be small, quiet, and take up as little space as possible. 

For those of us who exist in bodies that defy these standards, reclaiming space is an act of defiance. It’s choosing to see our bodies as deserving of respect, pleasure, and beauty in all forms. Fat people are beautiful and desirable. For many, being fat is not only part of who they are but also part of their identity and heritage.

Reclaiming Body Love: A Personal and Cultural Shift

Accepting and loving a body that’s been vilified isn’t easy. It requires peeling away years of conditioning, of internalized fat phobia, of learned self-hatred. But in doing so, we can transform. We can choose to see our bodies as resilient, as vessels that carry us, that have borne children, endured traumas, and continue to move us through life. They deserve to be cherished for that.

Changing how society views bodies of all sizes won’t happen overnight. But it starts within us—by questioning our own biases, challenging comments that shame, and letting go of the idea that thinness is synonymous with worthiness or health. Body diversity is real, and it’s time we learn to respect it. 

Fat, thin, or anywhere in between, our bodies are ours, and they deserve love. Not for how they look, but for all they’ve done for us.