A few days ago, I came across a poem I had saved from 2013. It made me think... time stands still for the wounded. Here it is: "privilege is simple: going for a pleasant stroll after dark, not checking the back of your car as you get in, sleeping soundly, speaking without interruption, and not remembering dreams of rape, that follow you all day, that woke you crying, and privilege is not seeing your stripped, humiliated body plastered in celebration across every magazine rac

I've had recent conversations with peers about "overcoming" personal stumbling blocks. This raised the notion that in fact, we should stop trying to "overcome" our 'shadow self'. In psychological terms, the shadow is composed of the parts of ourselves we’ve repressed, denied, or deemed unacceptable—like anger, fierce ambition, or even hidden creative gifts. When we try to "conquer" or defeat the shadow, we only push it deeper into the dark. That’s usually when it leaks out as

If you’ve felt unsettled during the recent storms, you’re not imagining it. Extreme weather has a way of shaking things loose — not just trees and powerlines, but our sense of steadiness too. As these events become more common, many people are noticing emotional shifts they didn’t expect. Naming these experiences can help us feel less alone.