Dear Anita:

Please forgive my abrupt absence. I’ve spent the last two weeks and two days attempting to see a therapist again. But the great old, fine, and dandy health care system decided to make a fool out of me. I promise, it wasn’t for out of lack of trying. I’ve made several calls to different therapists, two to a kind woman who has talked to me before. It doesn’t even make sense to me. While I normally pride on being independent and doing your own thing, the one time I need help and no one is able to drop everything to help. Christ on a biscuit.

Other than that, I’ve been leveling up thanks to my friends. So today, my mental health is slightly rocky. I hope yours is doing better than mine. On top of that, I had a wonderful job offer, but it involved working in a correctionals facility, so I had to pass for obvious reasons. And to top that off, (common word for me today: the word top), I still have this reluctance of sharing my personal life to strangers. Sure, you can connect with wonderful people online, but I have this irrational fear that someone will see my comments one day and they’ll go, “Why did you write this and not talk to someone privately?” That’s why I’m grateful for the Internet. I can talk to strangers who won’t judge me for being pazza (that’s Italian for crazy.)

Thank God I have YouTube. At least I don’t have a stalker. One Youtuber I follow online unfortunately had a stalking situation and she hasn’t been posting since. When are people going to learn that you cannot invade someone’s personal boundaries? If they’re not family or your lover or partner, don’t bother them! Anywho, I managed to listen to a podcast called Therapy for Black Girls. Surprisingly, I am subscribed to them but I forgot that I could listen to them anytime! How is everything with you? I read about your friend’s dog. I love dogs so much. I love animals in general, but no one can deny that a dog is man or woman’s best friend.

Please reply back whenever you’re ready.

Aiyana