Tag: Identity

Choosing to Call Out Courage in Another

I was in the third grade when I painfully discovered something about myself. A teacher was giving a math lesson on the multiplication table using a chart with colored geometric shapes. She asked for a volunteer to provide the answer to 3X3, referring to… Continue Reading “Choosing to Call Out Courage in Another”

Choosing the Right Words

As far back as I can remember, I have largely interpreted life, my value, and my impressions of those around me through the words I hear. What I have taken in through my ears has lodged deep into my soul. Countless words have cut… Continue Reading “Choosing the Right Words”

Choosing to Remember Who I Am

No matter how hard I try, why are some things so difficult to resist? Overeating? Harsh responses to those who correct me? Anxiety about the future? I know how I should respond, what I’m supposed to do, and what I ought to feel. But… Continue Reading “Choosing to Remember Who I Am”

Choosing What’s IN

I am a recovering English teacher. It’s been many years since I stood in front of a class of middle-schoolers and attempted to convey the beauty of past participles, gerunds and the joy of diagraming a sentence. The response was almost always less than… Continue Reading “Choosing What’s IN”

Choosing to Not Turn Myself into an Object

During my senior year in high school, my football coach referred to me as a “great athlete.” I was shocked but ecstatic that he would say such a thing. That was NOT how I saw myself. I had had minimal interest in athletics most… Continue Reading “Choosing to Not Turn Myself into an Object”

Choosing to Take Temptation Seriously

No matter how hard I try, why are some things so difficult to resist? Overeating? Harsh responses to those who correct me? Anxiety about the future? I know how I should respond, what I’m supposed to do, and what I ought to feel. But… Continue Reading “Choosing to Take Temptation Seriously”

Choosing to Not Compare

I have done it more often than I can count. Setting my house, my car, my education, my career, my life next to a neighbor’s, a friend’s or even an enemy’s. I then feel the discomfort when they don’t match. Occasionally I feel better… Continue Reading “Choosing to Not Compare”