Trying to fit in a chaotic, heavily cultured world can be messy. For an adolescent especially, acceptance is pretty high on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. But what is a person to do when their true nature conflicts with societal expectations? Lie, of course. You can have your cake and eat it too, if you do it right. I’m uncomfortably writing this post and exposing a very ugly skeleton in my closet in hopes that, if anyone who reads this finds themselves relating to any of it, they c...

    Traveling this far has made me realize more than ever that I was landlocked in a flat prison for 20-something years. Those few times I traveled outside of the upper Midwest—Colima Bay, Mexico; Disney World, FL; Colorado; Arizona; Oregon—they all had a common theme: eyes glued to the plane/car window, “WOAH!” As I’ve been driving through the hills of the Appalachians, my heart fills with fascination and appreciation and often accompanied with a dorky grin on my face.  The most re...