life lessons

  • The Rules to the Game

    The Rules to the Game

    Right after my sister died, I went down a spiral questioning absolutely everything about life. I became angry and bitter. My mind was filled with questions, but one kept circling louder than the others: are we really in control of our lives, or is everything already decided and fate simply set into motion? Fate. There…

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  • I’m Fucking Furious

    I’m Fucking Furious

    I’m fucking furious. I’m fucking furious because in this day and age we still need days like this. I’m fucking furious that the LGBTQ+ community is once again dealing with escalating hatred, rhetoric, violence, and fear. I’m fucking furious because some people still have to measure safety before honesty. Today is not about performance or…

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  • Coordinating the Impossible

    You know what aggravates me? I mean, can I talk openly with you all without someone going off the deep end because they accidentally recognize themselves in what I’m about to say? I hope so because you know me. I’m going to say it anyway, and preferably before my coffee gets cold. I’m tired of…

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  • Every Life Has Value

    Every Life Has Value

    Every human life should matter equally, but if we are honest with ourselves, that is not the world we have created. What unsettles me is that most people already know this is true, but somewhere along the way we trained ourselves to accept it as normal. A wealthy or famous person is murdered and the…

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  • Mother’s Day

    Mother’s Day

    Life with my mother comes back in flashes now. It is funny how differently you see things as an adult than you did as a child. I see her more human now than I ever did before. I see the other side of the story that children are often too young to understand. I understand…

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  • Five in the Morning

    Five in the Morning

    I sit on the edge of the bed at 4:30 in the morning and think about all of the fractures in a life. There is something about this hour that strips away distraction. The world is quiet enough that truth begins rising to the surface whether you want it to or not. I think about…

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  • Before They Said It Out Loud

    Did you ever want to say to someone: “You can invent whatever little stories or excuses you need to tell yourself and other people. But in the end, this comes down to one simple truth. You’re a homophobe. And deep down, you know it. What’s more important is that I know it. And I always…

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  • Never a Mystery

    Never a Mystery

    I always hated the game that was being played around me. “Is he or isn’t he?” It was never anyone’s business to begin with, and if it mattered that much, all they had to do was ask. I would have answered. The truth is, the people who needed to know, knew. I was always resentful…

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  • The Punchline Was on Him

    The Punchline Was on Him

    You know, I came out to my parents before anyone else. My mom was the first to know. Then again, a mother always knows. I believe that is true. It was not easy being the odd man out in a family. You learn to adjust. You learn to pay attention. Every time I encountered homophobia…

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  • Mornings Like This

    Mornings Like This

    It’s in the quiet times of the morning when my mind wanders back to the past. There’s a lot of hurt there, and it would be very easy to wrap myself in it and disappear for a while. Someone once asked me about my ex. I told them I stepped away from that situation to…

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