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jessa

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Everyday Stories, Lived

Life

  • No such thing as self-made

    “Self-made.” What a deceitful way to say that we have arrived where we are by ourselves, without receiving any form or kind of help. I used to believe I earned everything I had. But looking back to where I really started, utterly dependent on my mother for nearly everything, I can see it now: every… Read more

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  • Letter no. 51

    Dear reader from the future, I just watched Tron: Ares last night. Two computer programs faced off—Ares and Athena—and their exchange struck a chord in me. “You’re out of time.” “And you’re out of lives.” The words hung and popped out from the screen, and I found myself thinking: what’s the difference? When we run… Read more

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  • When your friends become consumables

    After spending a lot of time on social media, watching families’, friends’, and acquaintances’ days unfold through their stories, reels, and posts, I realized I hadn’t actually spoken to them in deep conversations or even casual catch-ups. I know some snapshots about their lives, but I am not sure if I really know them at… Read more

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  • The internet never forgets, but should we?

    I have already written 1,393 blog posts here and for sure, there are things that I have said that do not resonate with me anymore or even represent who I am today. But if I erase those ideas that I no longer hold, am I erasing a truth about who I was? Or am I… Read more

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  • Welcome home, I guess?

    After my three-week vacation back from my childhood home, I came back to the metro to a fat white cat, angry (but still cute), attacking and chasing me. Novo wouldn’t back down, not having his untrimmed claws and little teeth buried against my skin. Glad I was wearing enough clothing to cover down my ankle.… Read more

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  • We already paid for this

    I was sorting through our hospital discharge papers when another patient’s family member leaned over. “You know you can ask the congressman for help, right? On top of the government assistance you can process there,” while pointing to a well-known healthcare assistance program in the country. That’s when it hit me: we’re all just one… Read more

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  • They call it trust. They call it faith. They call it acceptance.

    How can you know you’re being exploited if you belong to a system that keeps you from asking deep questions—a system designed to prevent you from knowing you are in one? When naive trust, blind faith, and uncritical acceptance are all that’s expected of you, how do you even begin to see clearly? While catching… Read more

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