Falling down is inevitable, staying there is not

Falling down is inevitable, staying there is not

​​​​   The greatest achievements and accomplishments I’ve experienced have come at the cost of what felt like endless discomfort. Despite the insight I’ve gained over the years into this phenomenon, I still manage to occasionally lose sight and direction in the...
Letters from a decade in the future

Letters from a decade in the future

​​​​   Letters from a decade in the future You’ve been making mistakes and falling flat on your face for 12 years. You make the wrong choice in almost every circumstance and situation. You’ve struggled, suffered, and virtually let everyone in your life down a...
Journey to Sobriety…and Hope for Her Future

Journey to Sobriety…and Hope for Her Future

​​​​   IN HER OWN WORDS… As I sit on my bed alone, broken to the point of thinking I may not live, I still am not sure I can ever get sober, to be honest, I’m not even sure I want to. I start thinking that I have to do this, I have to do something, as I know the...
Vignettes – Part 5

Vignettes – Part 5

​​​​   December 2013. Downtown Phoenix. Lost. Broken. Emaciated. Sick. Gray December skies punctuate the morning as I climb the stairs to the emergency room doors. Banner Good Samaritan. Twenty-six years ago, I was born here. I snub my cigarette out with my shoe...
Practicing Gratitude

Practicing Gratitude

​​​​   This time of year always instills in me a deep sense of gratitude. As the leaves change color and the weather cools down, I often find myself reflecting. The dark days behind me strike such a brilliant contrast to the light that permeates my now daily...
Vignettes – Part 4

Vignettes – Part 4

​​​​   June 2013 – 12th St & Maryland It’s 2:00 a.m. I’m crouched under the awning of a neighborhood bar’s entryway and it’s pouring. Sheets of rain splatter against the asphalt, coating my face with a cold mist but I don’t notice because I’m high,...