Have you ever read a story and wondered if it was AI-assisted? — A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow expat who was hired to teach English in a local school. We met online as she reached out to me with the idea of creating a community of black expats here in Monterrey. She has charm and “spunk”…

Memories of Winnie the Pooh crystallize my appreciation for my father — Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my — “ — Mom, I think I’m forgetting what Daddy looks like!” I opened my eyes, lifted my head from my praying hands, and worriedly looked up at Mom as she knelt beside me. “Oh honey,” she chuckled…

He whispered abuse at my father, and I whispered back — “Wait, what had I said? How old was I? — I don’t think I was in high school, I don’t recall us visiting the capital at that time, but was I seriously that young?” The memory swirled in my head in all its vibrant colors and made me wince at…

It’s not where or even how we land but the lessons we learn on our journeys — I pushed my hand luggage down the center aisle counting my way to row sixteen. It was so quiet — you could hear a pin drop. There may have been twenty passengers who had found their way into their seats as more of us made our way into the aircraft…

I do not have any one place I call home — How do you feel when you walk into your home returning from a week-long trip? Can you describe that feeling in detail? It’s been two years that I’ve lived in this new structure I call my home. I have a long list of projects that I want to complete in…

This childhood memory helped me rediscover the power of our imagination — 🎶Come with me and you’ll be In a world of pure imagination Take a look and you’ll see Into your imagination¹ 🎶 Once upon a time …my mind was a frequent visitor to the playground of infinite possibilities. In this vibrant world, the only rule was there weren’t any. …

In exchange, here are three tips you may not know! — Okay — I’ll be honest. I have more than one favor to ask. But you’ll be happy —I’m not asking for 10 — only three! 😉 Could you kindly make a note of who is subscribed to you Some of you are tagging writers who are already subscribed to you. …

This recent invite reminded me that perhaps we have not progressed as much as I thought we have — “Hey Natalie, I want to invite you over to my daughter’s beauty contest this Friday at 6 pm. Fernanda will be going — so the two of you can drive over together.” I listened to Gaby’s audio message on WhatsApp — closed my eyes, and asked myself, “Just how? —…

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen…” Brené Brown — A pebble was thrown into the pond of my writer’s thoughts. Two days ago I read, “Do people read you because you read them or because you’re a writer?” As the ripples gained momentum, I was bothered both by the discomfort of a seemingly innocent question — while at the…