Out of the Box

As a young girl, I spent the majority of my time dirtying myself up in the woods of Wisconsin.  I loved playing make believe, cutting hair off my Barbie dolls, or jumping off the pier and into Lake Geneva.  I was not shy to being dirty, nor was I shy to getting rough with the boys.

From a baby to age fourteen, the question of love and who we fall in love with never really bothered me much.  As far as I knew during my grade school existence, I’d crushed on a few boys.  A few boys had crushed on me.  And of course, there were one or two girls who seemed to have feelings for me, but as far as I knew, I didn’t seem to like them back the same way.  Over all of that, I played on two hockey teams, so the idea of trying to date was totally off my radar.  So I placed myself in the first box: straight.  Straight as an arrow.  Or so I thought.

Fall is for Family

Of all the seasons, my favorite is autumn.  Part of that is due to the beauty I saw growing up around this time of year.  In the Midwest, the leaves would change color, turning from vibrant green to rusted colors.  The trees would shed themselves of summer’s fragments and everyone would find their way to the orchards, ready to pick out the recent harvest: apples, pumpkins, fruits, vegetables, and then finish off a day in the fields with a drink of apple cider with mitten covered hands. 

Make the World Your Runway

It was a couple of weeks ago.  A Monday, just an ordinary Monday.  There I was, sick and on some strong cold medication, strutting down YiZhong street with my sunglasses on and my hair pulled back into a sleek braid.  Half of me was convinced I was going to fall flat on my face in front of a bunch of high school students outside of Family Mart, because my entire body was shaking from the medication.  The other half of me felt like I was on the runway at fashion week or something equally as ridiculous.  Thank you, Panadol, for that rush of unwarranted confidence.  

Why I Went Vegan (Again)

Way back when at the age of twenty-one, I was seeing a girl who was deep into veganism.  It was, honestly, the first time I had seen or heard anything about it.  And I was intrigued by the idea.  At the time, I was a little oblivious and ignorant to my own needs.  I thought I was healthy and continually found myself in a pattern.  I’d lose weight, get real close to where I wanted to be, and then I’d falter back, ending up right back where I started.  I was unhappy, not healthy, and I needed a change.