The subject of exes is complicated.

It seems like everyone has different experiences with their exes. Some are friendly and close while others are distant and aloof. There are some exes who are still in love and other exes who move on easily and date within a month. There are exes who want to be amicable and exes who don’t seem to care if your friendship crashes and burns in the end. Basically, it depends on the person, and the way that the relationship ended.

I’ve realized over time that there are 5 distinct types of exes (at least that I’ve encountered or witnessed). Each of them have different habits and different ways of acting once the breakup is over, and they even have different ways of connecting with you after the fact. Exes are a slippery slope, but sometimes gaining understanding about them is what finally empowers us to heal. And breaking down their patterns can even help us feel less hurt in the end. …

The first time I got a hateful comment on Medium, I was deeply offended.

It was a comment on one of my political articles. An older man had posted a comment mocking me, my career, and my perspective. He quickly shot down my facts and used stinging words and expletives to get his point across. I’d like to be able to say that I took it with a grain of salt, but I didn’t. In fact, I was so speechless that I didn’t know what to do. Should I respond? Should I just leave it? Should I correct him on the various things that he had misinterpreted? …

I’ve never been fat before.

I’ve never had a good relationship with my body (or food, for that matter) so I spent many years thinking I was fat, constantly criticizing my figure, looking in the mirror and hating what I saw. I would see myself in pictures and complain that I looked “disgusting.” But now, years later, I look at those pictures and think, Damn, I was skinny. Why did I hate myself so much?

This year, though, I actually got fat. Like, very overweight. (To be clear, I’m not using “fat” negatively. I feel most comfortable describing my journey this way.) I weigh much more now than I did in March 2020, and I’ve developed stretch marks, flabs, and rolls. I’m guessing the cause is a mix of me sitting at my computer all day, not being able to go to the gym, and emotionally eating. Regardless, I look in the mirror now and I see a serious change. …

“Did you hear that Alicia* changed her pronouns again?” my friend asked me one day in conversation. (*I have changed this person’s name to Alicia to protect their privacy.)

I had heard that Alicia had changed her pronouns again, but I really didn’t have a problem with it, and I didn’t know why my friend did. So I just mumbled back, “Yeah.”

And then my friend said something unthinkable. “I think she’s really just doing it for attention.”

I was left speechless. This friend is incredibly politically correct, fiercely accepting of the LGBTQ community, and staunchly liberal. …

This week, I accidentally sent a sexually explicit text to my employer.

She is one of my tutoring clients, the mother of one of my students. I have my own business as a tutor for elementary-age children. I love kids, and it’s one of my side hustles to keep me out of debt.

It was an ordinary Wednesday morning. I woke up, rolled out of bed, and looked at the clock. When I saw it, I instantly panicked. I had overslept for my 9:00 tutoring lesson. …

Now that we’ve entered a new year, our brains are flooded with new goals. A lot o fus want to exercise more. Some want to be better to the environment. Still others strive to be more productive in our careers. And there are millions of other goals shared by countless others. But there is one common goal, seemingly timeless, that resurfaces at the beginning of each new year: get smarter. Learn more. Read more. (And guess who is always one of the loyal supporters of this very goal? Yep — yours truly.)

So, if you’re like me and you want to get smarter in 2021 by learning and reading, then this is for you. And if you’re a feminist, like me, and you want to expand your perspectives and become an even better advocate for women’s rights, stay with me. …

How do you feel about your relationship (or relationships) in your life right now?

Do you feel nourished and safe within them, or do you often walk away feeling uneasy for reasons that you can’t quite pinpoint? Do your relationships feel strong and healthy, or concerningly dynamic? If you’re someone that is starting to get the feeling that your relationship might be toxic, then this is for you. This goes for any relationship — whether that be family, romantic partners, or friends. …

The day was September 11, 1973. It was a bright morning in Santiago, Chile, but it would soon turn sour. Socialist President Salvador Allende, who had been democratically elected 3 years ago, woke up to violence. Tanks and bombs were stationed all around his palace, La Moneda, and he went outside with his security staff to look around at the scene. Chile’s three armed forces were outside, demanding that he surrender — or, in other words, resign — otherwise they would launch a deadly attack on him and the Chilean government.

Allende refused. Having grown up in a middle-class family and living in Chile his whole life, he had seen the way people were treated. He was passionate about education, healthcare, and equality, and strived to create equal conditions for all socioeconomic classes. The mistreatment of people — both by violence and by the oppressive capitalist society in Chile at the time — struck his heart and galvanized him to make positive change. He had run for political positions many times before, including becoming a Senator, and finally, he was elected as President of Chile in 1973. The Chilean people had come together in support of his policies and tenacious goals towards equity and reformation. However, other people were watching, specifically wealthy, staunchly capitalist groups in Chile — and the United States CIA. …