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The Disney/Pixar animated film Inside Out would have you believe you own your emotions. After all, they exist inside your head and respond to your situations. So, that means they’re yours, right? Technically, yes, but only if you fight for them. From the moment we are born, there is a litany of external forces attempting…
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Euphemisms are a part of our culture. For centuries, we’ve been finding ways to communicate without actually saying what we mean. Over 1,000 years ago, Northern Europeans used a word meaning “the brown one” in place of the word bear, because they feared that actually using the word might cause the bears to show up…
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Nutrition is a critical component of my life. I watch carefully what I eat because the wrong things can literally kill me. I also get exercise. However, the weather and my schedule are conspiring against me today. I walk extensively to help address multiple health issues. However, I have appointments immediately after breakfast and lunch,…
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Therapy used to be one of those forbidden topics that no one mentioned in polite conversations. That has changed. Now, chances are pretty high that in any group of four people, at least two have been in therapy and at least one probably still is. No one is considered “crazy” anymore for recognizing that they…
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We have a quick question for you: Should we include political content? The question is important, especially given the upcoming elections in November. Autonomy and inclusion are very much on the ballot, as all members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election. Add in a third of the Senate, and a bad election…
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I grew up in the 1960s in small, rural towns and communities. What allowed those communities to exist was a set of social norms, largely unspoken, that everyone was expected to follow. If you made a promise, you kept it. If you made a mistake, you admitted it. If someone called for help, everyone else…
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Courage is not a word I would use to describe myself. In my head, courage defines people who fight battles against enormous odds. Courage is taking a stand when everyone else stays seated. Courage is finding the strength to do something others thought you couldn’t do. Those are the assumptions I’ve made all my life,…
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Gender autonomy may be the unsung hero in the war against authoritarianism. We don’t see it getting a lot of press at the moment, but that doesn’t mean the issue isn’t vital to unseating power structures that repress us all. Several people I know and love actively express their gender in terms other than what…
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Moments of intimacy stay with us. I still remember my first real kiss. We were at church camp, hiding off the path, sitting on a boulder hidden by trees. She was way out of my league. I had no clue what I was doing. In fact, the only thing I was sure of was that…
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Sexual identification is extremely important. More than just a label, sexual identity is personal. Older generations confirmed who they are around the age of 18. However, studies and polls show younger generations making that decision much sooner, anywhere between 12 and 14 years old. Complicating matters, especially for family and friends, is the fact that…