I am the indoctrinated child of two lapsed Irish Catholics. Which is to say: I am not religious.

It's all too easy when talking about female gymnasts to fall into the trap of infantilizing them, spending more time worrying more about female vulnerability than we do celebrating female strength.

My mother never liked Mother's Day. She thought it was a fake holiday dreamed up by Hallmark to commodify deep sentiments that couldn't be expressed with a card.

If the condition of grief is nearly universal, its transactions are exquisitely personal.

One of the ideas I've clung to most of my life is that if I just try hard enough it will work out.

I live to collect information, and I am also a perfectionist.

I believe in the importance of individuality, but in the midst of grief I also find myself wanting connection - wanting to be reminded that the sadness I feel is not just mine but ours.