a writer lives twice. first for their own experience, and secondly to collect the smallest details that will bring humanity into their stories. so, i began to step back and observe this year. the ones closest to us can be the most difficult to see. we tend to notice our favorite things about a person when we’re away from them, but i saw it in real time. i saw the way my sister wrinkles her nose when she laughs and can make a whole room hang on her every word. i saw how my boyfriend’s complete lack of a filter makes people feel safer to be a little more honest. i saw the way my best friend lowers his voice when he has good news, because hope and joy are fragile feelings. i saw my parents—- how my mother pretends she doesn’t see absolutely everything and dances through even the most mundane tasks. i saw how my father can tell a three hour story like it happened yesterday. i thought i saw everyone but myself, but you know what? they are all a part of me. i am my sisters fierceness and my boyfriends humor and my best friends tender heart and my mothers warmth and my fathers brazen ability to say yes to life. i believe the trend right now is the most epic view you saw. for me, they are it ♥️ life really is just the journey from here to there, marked by whom we love and care for along the way.