Photo from Unsplash by Cole Keister

It has been raining constantly this week. Rain is interesting because it can be gentle, but also unforgiving. The air feels cleaner after it rains. But the sky also darkens.

These qualities make me believe that I have a love-hate relationship with rain. I enjoy rainy days, but too many dark skies make me feel sad and alone. Here is a poem that deals with the complexity of rain and emotion.

Photo from Unsplash by Cecilie Johnsen

June is Pride Month! I have always admired the LGBTQIA2S+ community because it takes courage to be so unapologetically yourself. These individuals define themselves and constantly have to defend that definition.

Today is Juneteenth, which acknowledges freedom and enslavement. As a nation, we have made some gains. But, there have been many losses as well.

New York State is beginning to reopen. In fact, I got a much needed haircut this week! Outdoor seating is now a reality as well. It is important for us to be cautious, but I am glad that restaurant and café visits are on the horizon.

Photo from Unsplash by Vince Fleming

Black Lives Matter. It’s important for all of us to stand up for what’s right. This movement doesn’t go away once the topic isn’t trending. You can learn more here.

As an ally, I understand that I cannot understand. However, words allow me to form my thoughts in an organized manner so here is a poem that I wrote called “Resist.”

This past week, I have gotten back into running.

I am not particularly good at running. In fact, my high school self would honestly think that I have gone insane. But, what I love about running is that at a certain point, my mind stops thinking. It’s all about moving, no matter what.

One of my favorite memories is running on the Brooklyn Bridge. It was an instant high. On that day, an instant wave of gratification hit me and I always keep that feeling with me whenever I run now.

Sometimes, I feel like my being isn’t in sync. My mind is going in one direction, but my soul feels like that direction is wrong and stupid. I am sure many of us have felt like that, where our thoughts and feelings are not aligned. Here is a poem that describes the battle between the mind, body and I.

Photo from Unsplash by Priscilla Du Preez

Mother's Day was last Sunday. It was a little different this year because we couldn't really do much. But, we ordered some food from a restaurant and celebrated our lovely mom.

Photo from Unsplash by Hello I'm Nik

My early 20s are basically over. I’ll be 24 in July. This time period has been tough for me.

I have grown so much, but it does not seem like it’s enough. Here is a poem that expresses the weird feelings I have felt over these past couple of years.

Photo from Unsplash by Katie Moum

This week was the final week of classes so I mostly focused on finishing coursework. However, I had a chance to take a long drive. I needed it very much. My week was not great.

But, when I was on the road, there was so much fog and rain everywhere. I could hardly see what was right in front of me. The journey was uncertain.

That’s how many people feel right now. The virus has made people’s lives uncertain.

A couple of years ago, I travelled to Nicaragua and it felt unreal. I felt like I was in a movie.

Spanish was spoken everywhere. I do understand Spanish because I studied it during high school and college. But still, hearing a language that was not English was a surreal experience.

Nicaragua was a dream for me. A fantasy. I enjoyed my time greatly. The people were so kind and full of joy.

Here is a poem about fantasy.

Photo from Unsplash by Calum Lewis

I have no idea if the title is true, but it is for me. Like many others, we have turned to cooking while staying at home. Although, take-out is still very much appreciated.

Cooking is a lot like relationships with people. Sometimes, you get burned. Other times, you need to spice things up or cool it down.

Here is a poem about creating something.

With all that is going on the world, it's hard to stay positive. Thankfully, nature has been helping me cope.

Nature is great. And my walks/runs by the Charles River are great. But, it's not enough. I need my experiences again, especially the simple ones. I miss going to a cafe...sitting there for hours and simply doing work.

Therefore, I am going to keep this post short because I am respecting my own mental health. Here is a poem about hard times.

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Being home all the time has filled me with such anxiety. So as always, I turn to the activities that make me happy.

Although, my approach was different this time.

I attended one of Rupi Kaur's writing workshops (on Instagram Live). Her process allowed me to be creative... particularly because we wrote without thinking.

Sometimes, writing without a filter gets me in the zone. And I'm happy to say that I have made some progress on the fictional books that I have been writing in my free time.

Here is the Spoken Word poem that I wrote during the writing workshop.

Photo from Unsplash by Janko Ferlič

This week, I enrolled in Yale’s free online course: “The Science of Well-Being.” During this uncertain time, I have had more opportunities to do things that make me happy. Learning is one of them.

I am such a nerd, I know.

In high school, we studied happiness and I was always fascinated by the topic. Therefore, learning about well-being through a college course at one of the best institutions in the country is eye-opening.

Corona. This virus is what everyone has been talking about… and its impact has been crazy. Although, I most likely will not die from this virus, others might.

And the healthcare system is feeling overwhelmed because of this crisis. Therefore, I am staying at home as much as I can.

I enjoy being alone. I am an introvert, but frequently pretend to be an extrovert. So it’s nice to focus on me for once. I have been getting ahead on assignments, reading, exercising, binge watching, and of course: writing.

I also feel lonely. But, it comes in waves, as does my anxiety.

If anything, this alone time has taught me that I am imperfect, but I am happy with the person I have become because I keep trying to be better.

Here is a poem about being alone. It may be sensitive to some people.

As you all know, winter is coming to an end. I finally had the opportunity to go skiing, even though the season is nearly over.

It’s been years since I last went skiing! Therefore, I was extremely happy to go. One thing that I was not so happy about was the cold. I wore many layers. Sometimes, they were enough and other times, they were not enough.

After all, I was exercising so sometimes those layers felt suffocating. But, then other times, I felt the cold wind and yeah… no explanation needed.

Anyways, here is a short fragment about cold nights and how they don’t have to be so cold.

One thing that I enjoy about being in Boston is the freedom that I have. I can do almost whatever I want, whenever I want. I say almost because there’s a little thing called graduate school that I’m in, which prevents me from taking very long vacations while in school!

So one day after my presentation, I decided to treat myself.

If you don’t know this, you should: Boston is known for its cannolis. I already visited Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry. But, I never got to try Bova’s Bakery, which is a lesser-known bakery in Boston’s North End.

There’s a few more places that I want to try for cannolis, such as Parziale’s Bakery. But I know that I’ll have a chance down the road.

Anyways, I am glad that I put a little excitement into my life and was spontaneous.

Even though this was just a trip to the North End. I went at nighttime and by myself. And of course, that can be dangerous. However, I was careful and did not live my life in fear. For me, doing things is much more important than living in fear.

Here’s a little poem about traveling and doing things for yourself.

Photo from Unsplash by Angelina Kichukova.

I am changing my topic last minute. I don’t know why. I don’t feel too great today and slept for a majority of the day. And this will require more thinking power.

But, I think this is an important topic: it’s okay not to feel okay. We forget to look after ourselves. Today, I felt guilty for not being able to make it to my on-campus job. We should not feel guilty for feeling unwell, but we do.

What is the point of going to work when you’ll just be unproductive? Listen to your body. It is demanding for a break.

After moving to Boston, I think it is safe to say my caffeine addiction has grown. I am especially addicted to matcha. One of the prettiest matcha drinks is in Seaport. It’s from Taiyaki NYC - Boston, the home of strange, but yummy ice cream.

Now, I know my obsession with caffeine is not a real addiction. But every time I buy it, I feel so guilty. Because guess what? There is a headache the next day.

I have become so dependent on caffeine to fuel my day. And I realize this is normal, but I do not like the feeling. I want to go back to having caffeine occasionally, as a treat.

Caffeine makes me feel like I can do anything and that is why I am so drawn to it.