There’s a strange kind of relief in realizing you don’t have to wrestle every answer to the ground. That not every moment needs to be neatly filed under ‘this is why it happened’ or ‘this is what it means.’ Some things just are. Some people just come and go. Some paths lead exactly where they were meant to, even if you had no idea at the start. Understanding always seemed like a prerequisite for moving forward. That if every chain reaction of events—who did what, what led to what, where the cracks began—could be untangled, peace would …
Loving Someone Who’s Gone and Still Here
Safe, Wanted, and Loved is a story of resilience, love, and the quiet, brutal battle of living alongside mental illness. It doesn’t preach, it doesn’t dramatize—it simply lays bare what happens when the mind of someone you love turns into a stranger’s. One morning, everything in their home was normal. By the end of the day, nothing was. That’s how fast life turned for this family. What follows is not just a story of a woman battling psychosis but of a husband trying to hold onto the woman he knew while the illness ripped through her mind, of …
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How Wild Taught Me That Strength Is a Choice
I didn’t know women could do this. Hell, I didn’t know people could do this. When I first picked up Wild by Cheryl Strayed, I had no real concept of long-distance hiking. I thought of nature as something you visited for a few hours, maybe a weekend if you were adventurous. The idea of walking for months through the wilderness, alone, carrying everything you needed on your back? That was the stuff of movies or, at best, something rugged men did in the 1800s. But here was this woman—Cheryl—who had never even gone on a hike before deciding to …
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The Stories That Stay With You
Most stories entertain. The best ones do something more. They change you. Not in a grand, life-altering way—no one reads a book and instantly becomes a different person. But the right story can make you see something you hadn’t noticed before. It can nudge you toward a decision you’ve been avoiding or plant a question that refuses to go away. Some stories make you uncomfortable in the best way. They hold up a mirror and force you to confront something you’ve been pretending not to see. Others remind you of what’s possible—what you could …
Little Matches: A Memoir of Finding Light in the Dark – Book Review
Grief isn’t a story. Until it becomes one. There’s grief, and then there’s grief that leaves you gasping for breath. "Little Matches" by Maryanne O’Hara is the latter. It’s a book that doesn’t just tell a story—it sits with you, presses into your chest, and makes itself at home in the quiet spaces of your heart. And yet, somehow, it doesn’t leave you drowning. Instead, it hands you a match in the darkness. Maryanne’s daughter, Caitlin, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at two years old. If you don’t know much about CF, let’s …
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On Call in the Arctic: A Doctor’s Survival Guide to Miracles, Medicine, and Mayhem
Life has a way of sending curveballs, but few can rival the one thrown at Dr. Thomas Sims in 1971. Just as he was about to begin his pediatric surgical residency, Sims got the kind of letter that could derail even the best-laid plans: a draft notice for Vietnam. Instead of stitching wounds in a battlefield M.A.S.H. unit, Sims was offered a different type of war zone—Nome, Alaska. With his very pregnant wife, young daughter, and a van full of pets, he traded the temperate halls of California hospitals for the bone-chilling barrens of the Alaskan …
“Die With Zero” Review: Balancing Money, Memories, and Life’s Peaks
Confession time: I'm someone who often finds it difficult to spend on myself, unless it involves trekking gear or a solo travel adventure. Even then, I'm the first to opt for the budget hostel over a swanky hotel. So, when I picked up Die With Zero by Bill Perkins, I was ready for a clash of my frugal instincts with its bold propositions. This book presents a compelling viewpoint on how we handle our finances across the span of our lifetimes. The essence? Spend your money to enrich your life with experiences, because you can't take it with …
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Viola Davis’s Memoir: An Unforgettable Journey of Resilience and Redemption
Viola Davis's memoir, "Finding Me," is a captivating glimpse into the life of an incredible woman. If, like me, you've been a long-time admirer of her acting prowess, this book takes you on an even deeper journey into her personal life and the challenges she's overcome. What's more, listening to her narrate the audiobook adds a whole new dimension to the experience. A Childhood Marred by Hardship From the very beginning, Viola immerses us in her tumultuous childhood. Poverty, substance abuse, and violence were daily companions in her …
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