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The Algorithm of Outrage: Not Every Headline Deserves Your Peace
We live in a time where outrage is currency. Social media feeds us headlines designed to spark emotion, arguments, and clicks. The more heated we get, the more the algorithm wins. But here’s the truth: not every headline deserves your peace. Parasocial Relationships and the Illusion of Intimacy With the rise of social media, we’ve…
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Tuesday Tip: When Identity Becomes Religion and the Revival That Follows
I’m 51 years old, a Gen Xer who grew up believing in liberal ideals. For most of my life, I thought I understood what it meant to be a Democrat: fighting for fairness, standing up for the underdog, and pushing for progress. But over time, I began to see a shift. For me, the change…
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A New Season, A Fresh Direction
As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, I’ve been reflecting on the direction of this blog and what will serve both me and my community best in the coming months. After much thought (and more than a few cups of coffee), I’ve decided to keep my focus on writing—through this blog,…
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I Was 17 When I First Heard Gloria Steinem Speak–It Felt Like a Rallying Cry. Now It Feels Like a Warning.
I was 17 the first time I heard Gloria Steinem speak at a rally for young women. We were told we were powerful.That we could do anything.That we didn’t need men, and we certainly didn’t need to raise them. Back then, it sounded like a revolution.Today, it sounds like indoctrination. 💔 Nobody Asked the Children…
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The Weight of the World and the Rest We Were Promised
In April 1999, I was one month away from college graduation when Columbine happened. My younger brother was still in high school, and watching teenagers his age running for their lives, or not making it out at all, was terrifying. Two years later, I stood in front of the TV with the rest of the…
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The American Dream: Bigger Was Never Better
When the Wall Street Journal runs a headline about Americans being “trapped” in smaller homes and jobs they can’t leave, it strikes a nerve. For Gen Xers like me, the question isn’t whether the American Dream is collapsing—it’s whether we’ve misunderstood what the dream really was all along. The Roots of the Dream The real…
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When the Lights Go Down: What a Jumbotron, Coldplay, and a Slow Fade Reveal About Us
It was meant to be a magical moment. The glow of the Jumbotron, the swell of the music, and an interactive moment with the crowd. But as Coldplay’s Chris Martin scanned the audience and cheekily remarked that the couple ducking the camera was either “shy or having an affair,” the stadium erupted in laughter. But…
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Before You Build a Following, Ask Yourself This: What’s Your Purpose? (A Lesson From the Bees) 🐝💛
We live in a time where you can go viral for anything.A cute toddler moment. A cleaning hack. A day-in-the-life vlog.And for many stay-at-home moms, TikTok seems like a beacon, offering hope that maybe, just maybe, you can turn your day-to-day into something profitable. “I want to be TikTok paid.”“I need 10,000 followers.”“I just want…
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Throwback Thursday: The Call That Changed Everything
May 28, 2010. The date is etched into my bones. It was supposed to be a fresh start. I was closing the door—physically and emotionally—on an on-again, off-again five-year relationship. He was headed to Hawaii. I was packing up my life, bracing myself to begin again. There’s a strange kind of freedom that comes with…
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Motherhood Isn’t a Contest—It’s a Calling
Each May, we set aside a single day to “honor” mothers. It arrives with flowers, cards, French toast breakfasts in bed, and social media reels of smiling women holding handmade gifts. But beyond the brunch menus and Pinterest-perfect parties lies something far more sacred: the calling of motherhood. And yet, somewhere along the way, society…
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When Life Slaps You Like a Clown: Finding Illumination in the Unexpected
Life has a funny way of delivering its biggest lessons. Sometimes, they come gently, like a whisper in the wind. Other times, they hit you hard—like a clown slapping you in the face. You’re left standing there, stunned, dumbfounded, wondering What just happened? That’s the thing about illumination. It rarely arrives the way we expect.…
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Creating Healthy Boundaries: Lessons from Life and from Jesus
Have you ever found yourself saying “yes” when you knew you should have said “no”? Maybe you’ve felt your energy dwindle while juggling endless demands at work, or you’ve noticed your relationships slipping into unhealthy territory. Whether in our personal lives or our professional pursuits, setting boundaries is crucial—not only for our peace of mind…
THE OUBAITORI EDIT 