Wen In The Mirror

 On Hanna’s 10th birthday, her dad took her for an early morning drive under a light drizzle – the kind of weather that seems to hold secrets. Caught in traffic, he shared a story that would change her life: Hanna wasn’t her parents’ biological child. She was born to a struggling farming family who, out of necessity, had to let her go. Suddenly, many things made sense, like why her grandparents treated her differently. She never received gifts when her grandmother returned from travels, and once, a cousin had even said, “You’re not one of us.” Now she understood why, but the truth left her feeling more alone than ever. At only ten, Hanna had to confront a painful reality that forced her to grow up too soon. Where other children were dreaming, she was coming to terms with the fear that if she didn’t work hard enough, she might be “given away” again. It was a bitter truth, especially when her mom urged her to keep it a secret, hinting that it wasn’t something to be proud of. To Ha...

I dare say my dad truly lived the "YOLO" lifestyle. He had a deep passion for the strongest kinds of alcohol and embraced it fully throughout his life – despite his very horrible gout and eventual multiple body failures (yes, it wasn’t pretty). I have to admit, it took a huge amount of courage (that I definitely don’t have) to live the way he did — not really caring about what others thought, about his health or family, or even about consequences. He always used to say, "Drinking or not, I’m going to die one way or another, so why not enjoy it?" While it kind of made sense at the time, it was pretty clear how premature his life ended, with so many things left undone. But that was his take on life — responsibility wasn’t his strongest suit. He simply did what he wanted, always. He was unapologetically himself, and, in a strange way, that’s what made him so cool. He taught me to drive when I was just 13. On weekends, we’d go to an empty plot near our home where I’d dr...