Playing with Fire

by L.J. Shen

Grandmomma always said people were like tacos—the harder they were, the easier they broke. Being soft meant being adaptive, more flexible. “When you’re soft, you can contain more. And if you contain more, the world can’t break you.”

We’re all categorized. Stereotyped by our flaws and weaknesses. Welcome to life. It’s a bitch and then you die.”

Anxiety is a hungry beast. Feed it, and it will grow. Starve it, and it will die.

It always surprises me, how the days that reshape and change our lives forever start so ordinary and unassuming.

Failure builds you up or breaks you down. It’s your choice what to do with it.”

“You don’t slip into depression. It grabs you by the foot like Pennywise and drags you down a deep, dark sewer full of shit. Depression is never your fault. So don’t apologize for that.”