I was vomiting, light-headed, dizzy and experiencing extreme back, abdominal, and pelvic pain and had a consistent fever of about 102 degrees for three days, but I insisted that I was fine. I don’t like to claim illnesses and when it comes to getting sick, I often work under the, “if you don’t acknowledge it, it won’t be that big of a deal” model. Positive affirmations can be powerful but are not the best ways to manage increasingly serious health conditions.

One of our favorite Schoolin Life sayings is, “The only L’s we take are Libations,” but it’s not entirely true. Over the course of the last year, I’ve taken my fair share of L’s and quite of few of them weren’t served with a cocktail umbrella on top. We can gloss over with platitudes like “a setback is only a set-up for something greater,” or, “failure is the proof that you’re trying,” but the truth is that failure is hard and it hurts.

I was never the girl who daydreamed about getting married and starting a family. In fact, I never had any desire to get married. Frankly, I didn’t see the point in monogamy, and committing to spending the rest of my life with one person seemed...boring. I didn’t grow up in a family of married couples, nor did I see very many of them in my immediate circles, so marriage didn’t seem like something for me.

In my old age (yes old age, lol), I’ve really become a homebody. My home is my safe place, my sanctuary, and my solitude so I take great pride in having created a warm, welcoming and inviting space that feels like me. In an effort not to be home alone, I love sharing my space with friends and on any given Friday night, my place is filled with laughter, libations and an aggressive game of Phase 10.