Stream of Consciousness
Life Lessons I Learned from Growing Up Broke
There’s a strange strength you develop when you grow up broke. Not the kind of strength that shows in your muscles or your posture, but a quiet, durable kind. A strength made of skipped meals, shared clothes, power outages, and learning how to make magic out of not enough.
By nawab sagar7 months ago in Confessions
THE FIRST BORN WHO NEVER GOT TO BE A CHILD
She’s the one they called strong before she ever even understood what strength was. The firstborn. The oldest. The fixer. The bridge between her parents' brokenness and her siblings' innocence. The one who was told, “You’re the example,” before she ever got to feel seen for herself.
By Ms Rotondwa Mudau7 months ago in Confessions
Word of the Day: 家賃
Today is the first of July and I will be hearing from the apartments in a few days to determine if I am accepted or not. I am pretty nervous but I just have to wait and see. Maybe it isn’t nervous but antsy. I am quite antsy to hear the news and to know if I am going to be moving into either Evans Crossing or Springbrook.
By Kayla McIntosh7 months ago in Confessions
They Turned My Soft Heart Into Stone
We often think heartbreak comes with loud cries, broken promises, or dramatic goodbyes. But the truth is, some heartbreaks are quiet. They don’t come with shouting or tears. They come with slow, small changes that turn a warm heart into a cold one.
By Muhammad Adil7 months ago in Confessions
My Double Life as a Perfect Student and a Chronic Procrastinator
By all outward appearances, I was the perfect student. My grades sparkled, my teachers smiled approvingly, and my classmates often turned to me for help. I carried color-coded binders, aced presentations, and handed in assignments on time. To the outside world, I looked like the kind of student who had everything figured out. But no one saw the chaos behind the curtain. Beneath the surface, I was locked in a constant battle with procrastination—delaying tasks until the last possible moment, then scrambling frantically in a storm of caffeine, panic, and late-night regrets. I lived a double life: one as the model student, the other as a master of procrastination.
By Muhammad Asim7 months ago in Confessions
That One Cafeteria Table. AI-Generated.
They say you never forget your first heartbreak. But mine wasn’t a person—it was a cafeteria table. It sat in the far left corner of Jefferson High School’s lunchroom. Chipped on one side, uneven legs that wobbled if you leaned too hard, and a tiny sharpie heart carved into its edge. It was nothing special.
By L.M. Everhart7 months ago in Confessions
Who Are You When No One’s Watching?
We spend much of our lives being seen. Not just literally, but performatively. We curate. We adjust. We smile when we’re supposed to. We speak in ways that feel acceptable. We become versions of ourselves that fit the room we’re in.
By Irfan Ali7 months ago in Confessions
How I Made My Name in America
I arrived in America with a name no one could pronounce. It was late August, the kind where the East Coast air still clings to the skin like it’s trying to keep summer alive. I was 19, clutching my father's old leather suitcase and my mother’s blessing in my chest like a shield. I didn’t speak much, partly because I was shy, partly because I was still learning how to string English together in real-life conversations, not just school exercises.
By Muhammad Wisal7 months ago in Confessions
When You Outgrow Your Coping Mechanisms
At some point in your healing, you look around and realize you’re not in survival mode anymore. The alarms have stopped ringing. The ground beneath you is steadier. The chaos has quieted—but you’re still flinching. You’re still over-explaining. You’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
By Irfan Ali7 months ago in Confessions
