This collection is for the days where getting out of bed is a victory, for the nights anxiety won’t let you sleep, for the unrelenting storms, for the times you question everything, for the moments where dying feels less sad than living. Human skin can be hard to live in. You didn’t ask to be here, but you can choose how your story ends.

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, once wrote, “those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’” As a therapist that works with individuals experiencing homelessness, I listen to people share stories of unfathomable suffering every day. There are many reasons to harden your heart, to allow anger and bitterness to swallow you whole.

But don’t let them win. There is good in this world, and it is so worth fighting for. Whether it’s helping refugees settle into their new homes, planting gardens and cultivating the earth, healing living things with your hands, words, hugs, music, cooking, laughter,education, using your privilege to advocate for those who have less than you, exercising your rights to build up your community, or serving people lattes with whipped cream (which is literally a day maker), find your why.