An Index of My Failures A I am not able to forget. I am not an artist. I am not an athlete. B I am not beautiful. I am not blossoming. I am not brainy. I am not brave. I am not brawny. C I am not crafty. I am not creative. I am not…
There is so much joy in this world, I see no reason for sadness. There is so much beauty in this world, I see no reason for envy. There is so much peace in this world, I see no reason for anger. There are so many natural wonders, I see no reason to be fake.…
I was in a bad place a few months back and wrote a lot of negative, dark poetry. Since this blog is about optimism, I hesitated to share it publicly, assuming it would be poorly received or, worse yet, discourage some of my readers. After much thought, I opted to start posting the poetry and…
I am happy. Just a new definition of happy. An aware version. An evolved version. A less naive, less opportunistic, version. My mask is gone. I am not the woman I once was. An inspected soul is a vulnerable soul, and I’ve been keeping mine under the microscope lately; It’s bound to be bruised.…
In Spring 2013, I attended a Short Story Writing Workshop through the Urban Rethink Foundation in Orlando. The teacher, Jamie Poissant, was great: attentive, patient, and passionate for his craft. In less than four hours, I took a nine page story (that felt like it needed to be a novel) and trimmed it down to…
On Wednesday, April 30th, I attended my final class of the spring 2014 semester at Rollins College. This was the first term of my MLS and I’m stunned by how quickly the term passed. I still remember my first day of class: I was overwhelmed, intimidated, and nervous. I felt under-prepared and worried (often) that…
Loss is one of the few things in life you don’t become desensitized to with repeat exposure. When you lay in the sun day after day, you develop a tan – your body’s natural resistance to the sun’s rays. (And skin cancer, of course, but that’s another story.) When you tweeze your eyebrows continuously, seeking…
Anyone that knows me has seen a lot of evolution in me, especially in the last twelve months or so. Going back to school (in March 2011) had a lot to do with that change. It reawakened pieces of my soul that had long been dormant: my thirst for knowledge, for challenge, for discussion–all of…
A poem I wrote during a bout of procrastination. Unedited and clichéd, it’s the first poem I’ve written in a while. I’m definitely out of practice! If I feel up to it, I may tweak/rewrite it in the next few days, but thought I might as well share it here since it’s something I have…
Photo: My father, circa 2003. Taken on a visit home during my first year in college. I wrote the following short story (non-fiction) for my Ethnography class. It’s too personal and emotional for me to really edit, alter, or attempt to submit for publication, so I’ve opted to share it here. ____________ September 20th, 2006:…
Victoria Elizabeth Ann 