Melanin + Moxie

Browsing Category:

Musings

Blog, Musings

Home

“Hush little Nikki, don’t say a word. Papi’s gonna buy you a looking glass.” I can still hear his gruff voice lulling me–sometimes when I least expect it. If I close my eyes tightly enough, I can smell the musk of his cologne, feel the stubble from his five o’clock shadow skim my forehead while he sings. If I concentrate long enough, I’m a little girl again, sitting on my grandfather’s knee. His warmth envelops me while we sway gently. His heart beats against my cheek and I inhale the  ...

Continue Reading

Musings

Talented

Grace tap-danced across the living room’s parquet floors in her black top hat, bow tie, and dance uniform. I stared, marveled by her new talent. She had just started lessons, and I already thought she was so good. But I wasn’t jealous. Rather, I was proud to be her younger cousin. Proud to be part of a family that had so much talent. I bubbled with excitement about when it’d be my turn to share my talent. Un aplauso por favor, my older cousin, Gretchen, said, mimicking Don Franscico, the  ...

Continue Reading

Musings, Relationships, Wellness

On Finding the Merry: After the holiday reflections

This image popped up on my “Facebook Memories” today and I had to chuckle. I remembered all the energy I had poured into choosing a wedding day photographer exactly for this reason. I wanted someone to capture the excitement and love and happiness of our day, because I knew that there would eventually be hard days ahead. And I wanted us to be able to look back and to remember the happy moments and how we felt on the day we got married. Little did I know, one of those “hard  ...

Continue Reading

Living Colorfully, Musings, Wellness

My first podcast interview!

I wanted to title this “what they don’t tell you about chronic illness” but the truth is, hardly anyone even talks about chronic illness to begin with. To be honest, before I had one, I never really thought about it. Yes, of course, I’ve had friends and family members who struggle with MS, and yes, I’m well-acquainted with mental disorders and the weight they bring, but I’d never really heard anyone talk about the struggles of living with a disability.  ...

Continue Reading