The Advocate

When I was a young child I was loud and passionate and imaginative and full of questions. When I got a little older, the world forced me to hide my brilliance behind a facade of docility, because being different is inconvenient for adults and prey for bullies. So, I became very good at pretending to be whatever was expected of me. I was quiet. I was obedient. I was small. It nearly killed me. More than once.  Now, as a grown-ass man, I refuse to live within the cages around my joy or the shackles bound to my soul. I have learned how to be my own champion and I refuse, I reject, I renounce all ties that would bind me from being exactly who I am. My life is for living and I'll never let anyone tell me or my family not to be as awesome as we want. I lost all my fucks a long time ago in the chaos of those childhood scars and pain. But in the process, I found myself instead, and now I try to help others find themselves too. This is for unapologetically existing. This is for my ancestors...

Well everyone, it has been an intense and harrowing year, filled with tragedies both local as well as national. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues across the socio-political spectrum have exposed deep fissures of suffering, bigotry, and injustice. There have also been bright spots, from adventures in Zoom to community charity events, but these have largely been muted by the overarching reality that has faced us starkly and unavoidably. In no way has this been more painful than in the lives of approximately 450,000 Americans who have died as a result of the coronavirus. That said, here are my resolutions for 2021: 1. Healing my mind & body. This goes from exercise to diet to medical treatment to therapy and beyond. As I move through my mid 30's with my wife and children, I can't be as cavalier about these issues anymore as I was in my 20's. 2. Cultivating habits for happiness. I mean really reprioritizing professional and personal activities with better boundar...