I feel empty. I feel lonely. I feel hopeless. The void is getting deeper. My heart is even weaker. My soul is lost. I am trying to find myself at all costs. Love feels like a distant memory. I am living life with no energy.

If someone is genuinely interested, they will show it. No matter how busy or chaotic their life is, people prioritize who they want and what they want. Boundaries are important. Be firm with them. If someone treats them as a suggestion, they will follow suit and treat you as such. …

As the year ends, I’ve decided it’s time to make some profound changes. I’ll see how long this outlook lasts. By some fault of my own, I am a people pleaser. I just want to make up for all the times I’ve disappointed or hurt the people I love. I am convinced that I deserve pain and suffering. Broken souls, I try to fix. Always wanting from unwilling people. Continuously falling for sweet nothings in my ear. Yes, I am delusional beyond repair.

I arrive at my apartment. I am exhausted from another work day. It’s the holidays; it’s expected. The company that I work for got acquired by a more prominent company. It’s overwhelming and confusing. I muster the energy to smile and laugh because this doesn’t just affect me. I always…

Everyone tells me I should be grateful for the things I have, which makes me feel like absolute scum. I am well aware that I have an excellent relationship with my sister. I have a fantastic select group of friends. My soulmate is all wrapped up in the cutest, furriest cat. I continue to climb the ladder at work no matter how many times I jump off it. I went from being homeless to having my place. So why not be happy? Why do I always want more? You’re young, have fun, and stop being so morbid. You’re always sad and angry; you’re so emotionally draining and dramatic. You’re so overly excited; grow up. No matter what, I’m just a contradiction.

It’s only been three days since you went to the treatment center, and it feels like forever. I’m so happy and incredibly proud of you for doing this, but selfishly I wish you were here. I miss you so much; my heart breaks at the thought of you being away…

I left a toxic relationship and thought my life from that point forward was going to be amazing. In some ways, it has definitely improved, but I’ve derailed my progress in others. For example, I was always the caretaker in all my pivotal friendships and relationships. As a provider, I…

My heart glows, illuminates, and radiates like fireworks on the 4th of July. Unconditional, incredible, indescribable love. A bond, I believe, was established in another lifetime. My soulmate I finally found. I thank God for listening to my prayers because they brought me back to you, the love of my life, previous lives, afterlives, and everything in between. Yours, Ivelisse

I was at home, being the absolute homebody that I am, when I got a text from my friend. “Are you pregnant?” We talked about eyebrow tinting, and I was my quirky self; I didn’t see how the two correlated. I reply and say, “no.” I didn’t hear from her…