December is the month of the list. Best of this, worst of that, top fives, top tens, what to look forward to, what to let go of, you name it. So in the vein of reflection and for the sheer bandwagon-ing of it all, I’d like to make a list of my top 5 star reads for 2022. So in no particular order, here we go

I am a PROUD mother of three children. I emphasize that because I am at a point where I can say that fully and confidently, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when I was twenty-five, unmarried, and pregnant with my first child, I felt anything but proud. Instead, I was ashamed and felt like a failure in life, and a large part of that was because of the harsh words my mother said to me when I told her that I was pregnant. I was an 1L in law school and I knew the timing wasn’t great, but I was not ready for the vitriol that she came at me with, and it started a fracture in our relationship that has taken many years (and many, many loud arguments) to heal.

How do you know when a battle is no longer worth the fight? What is the American dream worth and how is it corrupting us? Is it worth the loss of our values, our mental health, our most special relationships?