Stories We Carry
With Us
These aren’t success stories or cautionary tales.
They’re moments — confusing, quiet, painful, hopeful —
pulled from real life.
If one feels familiar, you’re not alone.
I didn’t go on medication because someone forced me.
I agreed to them because I knew, honestly, that I was not stable without them — and the guilt of causing harm would have crushed me. I was already...
One day, Iz (age 18) became manic and a confrontation started. We had a safety plan for situations like this, but I didn’t follow it. Instead of de-escalating — as I’d been trained to do as a psych nu...
My son Ismail (age 20) called. He and his fiancée, Nat were on the bus when a homeless woman sat next to them. She smelled strongly, so much so that even Ismail, who’s famously unfazed by hygiene issu...
One day, Ismail (age 8) was in time-out — again. At that age, he was spending more time in time-out than out of it. I noticed a dime on the floor but, exhausted, thought, What harm could a dime do?
...