For four years, I have felt varying degrees of heartbreak and betrayal. It began with the deep pain that someone who brags about assaulting women with no consequences can then be elected president. I woke up the morning after the election, after very little sleep, crying with a feeling of dread. I somehow made it to work where I processed grief with my interns — young women who just voted in their first election.

Oh they asked: “How did this happen? What do we do now?”

I had no answers but I told them, “I understand how you feel. …

When someone moves on to something new in their lives, good or bad, people call it the end of a chapter or the beginning of a new one. This feels like the wrong analogy to me.

I love to read. Reading has always been one of my most favorite activities. The summers of my childhood were filled with swimming and reading. When we would come from the pool in the afternoons, we would all go to our reading spots. Reading is what we did, it’s what we do. …

I fall madly, deeply, desperately in love with places. My first true love was Italy, specifically Florence. On my last visit 10 years ago, I sat in a piazza wishing it goodbye. I used to fantasize about quitting my career so I could stay in Florence, learn Italian, and become a waitress. I yearn for it. My heart aches as I type this. I miss it almost all the time.

I recently fell in love with Scotland. It was №1 my husband’s list of places to visit. I didn’t feel that strongly about it before going, but I’m always up…

I feel helpless.

I sit in a very comfortable place of white privilege.

I am educated, overly so some would say.

I am shattered daily by the ways that people of color are treated in this country.

I saw the horrifying video of Ahmaud Arbery, the black man being hunted in Georgia while he was running.

I am sick.

I am sad.

I feel helpless.

I want to use my privilege to be an ally.

I give up my spotlight so oppressed people can speak. This is not enough.

I have an academic understanding of the ways in which our…

I have mixed feelings writing a blog post during an unimaginable crisis. However, writing helps me process the feelings — fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty — that creep up on me. And then I can help people cope with theirs.

I keep thinking about the loss people are experiencing by being taken out of their daily lives. Schools across the world are making really difficult decisions about how to best look after their students and staff. One heart-wrenching decision is the cancellation of graduations. When I thought of the students missing out on commencement, I felt a tremendous sense of…

I wanted to write something in honor of Women’s History Month, the typical: these women were left out of the history books so let’s honor them during this one month a year. Then I realized that A) it is bullshit we have to have a designated month to honor people who should just be in regular history books, this goes for Black History, Hispanic History, Native History and so on and B) women’s stories are being erased in real-time in front of our eyes.

I still have some residual heartbreak from the 2016 election so I told myself I would…

How to make it a little bit better for your kids.

Last night, I watched To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You on Netflix (the sequel to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), and it reminded me of the torture that was Valentine’s Day in middle school and high school. (Note: This will be a little bit spoilery, so if you want to go into the movie completely blank save this until after you’ve watched.)

In the movie, the main character, Lara Jean Covey, has her first boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. We see her making him a very sweet card and pastry. She gets to school and everyone…

As a kid, I remember playing college, a lot. I was such a weird kid. I would sit in my closet and pretend it was my dorm. I don’t remember going to classes, but I definitely remember talking about going to classes and the books I read, and the people I met. Not only was this a super weird thing to do, but upon reflection, it was such a privileged thing to do.

Both of my parents graduated from the University of Miami. They love the University of Miami. We watched a lot of football games on TV and I…