Just Bec(c)ause

I'm Still Standing
In a world where the easiest option is to fall to our knees, I’m still standing. Maybe not better than I ever did but standing...

I need you to get better.
I need you to answer my phone calls with a sarcastic, witty comment. I need you to share the chip dip over a game of Phase 10. I need you...

You can do anything, but not everything
Scrolling through Twitter, my eyes skimmed across the saying “you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” For someone who is...

I’m a failure.
On the report card of life, I have a giant, red F flying at half staff to mourn all my dead ideas and opportunities. I cannot pull the...

Healthcare Heroes: To Infinity & Beyond
4 hours. 4 hours, 240 minutes, 14,400 seconds. It’s all the same. That is the amount of time it took me to get a rapid COVID test at a...

POV: A family wedding dance with Sister Sledge belting “WE ARE FAMILY”
You can’t spell family without ILY (I love you) and you can’t spell Moorhead/Tolliver without beer. Wait. Family isn’t defined by blood....

I wonder what it’s like.
What is it like to know where your smile originates from? What is it like to understand why you crave raw cinnamon rolls? What is it like...

Battery Low. Replace Now.
Flip up the couch cushions. Sift through the blanket basket. Glance on the kitchen counter. Ah, there’s that TV remote in the mound of...

What I Mean When I Say “What’s Mine Is Yours.”
Mi casa es su casa. My house is your house… and I mean it. Much of American society is “keeping up with the Joneses.” Who has the bigger...

“You can always make more money, but never make more time.”
He is wise. He is methodical. He is always onto the next big idea. He is my brother, from the same mother, not to be confused with my...

From The Lips of the Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love?"
Over the years, I’ve been taught love. The carpools on the way to a baseball game. The call to see where I am. The space given to let me...

Go Best Friend. That’s my Best Friend. - Saweetie
You know the person who hops in your car to run errands. The person who tells you to buy those Goodwill shorts because they are only $4....

Definition: Success (n.)-
Success is a blue ribbon for the 100 M Dash. Success is a hole in one. Success is ultimately happiness. My success is different than your...

Trip to the PNW: “It’s like Chernobyl out here.”
Dirty looks. Depressed motions. Drizzling rain. It’s the epitome of an entire year of fear, anxiety, and lost hope. It’s my recent trip...

We all want something we can’t have.
We all want something we can’t have. But why? I think it’s part of human nature to try to justify things. Why did my cake bake unevenly?...

The Home Team Doesn’t Always Win
Double Overtime. 10 seconds left. Long rebound to the three-point line with the visiting team on the ball. Dribble Dribble Dribble. 5. 4....

God’s on jury duty, not you.
You ever have those chills, those thrills that just overcome your body. Your prayers are answered. Your life has come full circle and you...

Plot Twist: “It’s (not) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” yet it does not feel that way to me. Ironically, I’m talking into my phone right now,...

Around the Table: “I’m Thankful For…”
This year, I’m thankful for 2020. I’ve seen a meme floating around Facebook that says “This is not the year to have everything you want....



















