The InStepp Blog: Our Perspective

A few months ago, I wrote that “we are all protagonists in our own stories,” a concept difficult to understand amidst the contradictory assertion that “we are all in this together” and the hoarding of food and supplies. Nonetheless, I push myself to acknowledge the psychological explanations behind behaviors I do not fully understand.[1] I acknowledge the pitfalls of …Read More >

January. February. They even sound dreary. The first few months of the year drag by with gray skies and a multitude of winter woes. But there’s hope, because now it’s March. Though I wouldn’t exactly call March my favorite month, it comes with its rewards.  Some people don’t like the time change that comes with Daylight Savings Time. As someone who is still learning to …Read More >

Within recent months, I’ve encountered men—complete strangers—who have compared my looks to that of a porcelain doll, honked their horn and stared at me while I stood at the bus stop, and physically stopped me on a walk back from the store to insist on getting a hug. Most recently, a man that I met and briefly communicated with, and whose obsequious messages I quickly went …Read More >

There is something special about immersing yourself in a book. Turning the page in anticipation of what is to come next. Telling yourself the big lie of, “Just one more paragraph.” Another paragraph turns into another page. Then you tell yourself that you’ll stop after this chapter. “Well, the next chapter is short, so I’ll just go ahead and read it now.” And God forbid if …Read More >

The above photographs are among my favorite keepsakes. I don’t remember much about the day itself, but I can assert confidently that the dynamic captured in these images is representative of the dynamic between me and my grandfather on any given day. More specifically, I look for my next mission. And even when he has to run—literally or figuratively—Grandpa remains behind …Read More >