I've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom isn’t the absence of responsibility or commitment — it’s the presence of choice. True freedom begins the moment you stop living from fear of what others might think and start living from the truth of who you are. It’s the soft exhale after years of holding your breath to fit into someone else’s idea of you. Freedom is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake; it’s the sacred act of returning home to your own rhythm. It means you can l

I was wandering one of my newfound rock-picking places — you know, the kind of spot where you go “just to look” and somehow end up two hours later talking to rocks like they’re old friends. The lake was calm, the air soft, and I told myself I was here to unwind, breathe, and maybe find a few treasures. It wasn’t the first rock I picked up that day — but it was the first one that stopped me in my tracks. It was weirdly shaped,  curved like it had grown that way on purpose. Smo

A couple weeks ago I threw a soup pot across the kitchen. It had been sitting in the sink too long, crusted and gross, and in my...