We hold our victories
In our hands like
Fireflies in glass jars
Admiring their glow
Dancing to the light
Like it's day

But darkness is daunting
We know the moment will come
When we must unscrew the lid
Let the lightning bugs blend
Into the night
while we inch forward through the black
Until the sun finally rises

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Gretchen Lee Bourquin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing in another life, and worked in disability care, customer service, and education administration — and as a single mom of two, now grown, kids…

When my grandson was born, I weaned off my medication. I moved from Minnesota to North Dakota for a year and lost my health insurance. I was helping my daughter while she was in school and the Adderall I was taking for my ADHD was making me feel irritable and I did not want that feeling around an infant. I was also on an antidepressant and meds for hypothyroidism. I had, and have, what I call “the trifecta,” ADHD, depression, and anxiety.

I loved helping with my grandson, but I felt isolated. The winter was long and icy in North…

In all of 2020, I made exactly $33, and I joined in 2019. I’ve written about 2020 going down the tubes for me. I was trying to survive. I am glad to say 2021 has been a bit kinder. I am not getting rich, but it is still good to see improvement. In 2020 there was not a single month I made my $5 membership fee back. In each of the first three months of 2021, I have

January — $9

February — $14.86

March (as of the 29th) — $11.81

That’s over $35 — and there is still a…

You spread your arms out
Lean back and fall
And I catch you
Over and over
Each time you sail
Less hesitant, less resistant
To gravity and all its force

Sometimes it takes more than trust
to make the catch

And I learn this
as my arms go numb
and my muscles become gel,
and we both tumble in a pile

We each take turns
trying to be strong
weakness winning time and time again
until we stop the dance and try
to catch ourselves

Even bent and bruised and broken
I still wish I had a net
that could reach across…

Joy rumbles like thunder
Off my skin
Through my veins and capillaries
My air passages
And all that makes me alive

After the heatwave
Paralyzed by the sun turned enemy
I welcome the storm

I could hear the thunder in the distance
Even before the first drops of rain
Sits suspended in the sweat of the atmosphere
A long gap between crash and flash
They inch together like cymbals
In slow motion
Before the clouds break free
And pour

Gretchen Lee Bourquin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing in another life. She worked in disability care, customer service, and…

I don’t always have HBO, but I had a slight case of FOMO, so I decided to get it for a couple of months. Among the supposed “must-see” shows was the highly anticipated “Friends Reunion Special” hosted by James Corbin. The show began with the main six cast members entering a big warehouse space one by one and looking at the original set for the show, which included the two main apartments and Central Perk, the coffee shop where the six would hang out frequently.

David Schwimmer (Ross)walked in first, followed by Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe). then Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Matt…

There is no sword as sharp as silence
The serrated blade twists
Inches from my heart
And will not let me let go

Every scrape stings
Like vinegar on an open wound
And will never heal

All I hear is your laughter
Maniacal giggles
Singsong gotchas
As I swallow my tears
And my screams

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Gretchen Lee Bourquin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing in another life. She worked in disability care, customer service, and education administration — and as a single mom of two, now grown, kids- before delving into freelancing as a content writer. She’s enjoying the opportunity that Medium provides to get a little more personal and put the creativity back in her writing. Follow me on my Facebook Writing Page, Twitter, or my blog.

Having ADHD often means being unsure or which way to go or what way to turn. It can aggravate depression and anxiety and bring out bouts of forgetfulness and general brain fog. All of this is sometimes better with medication, but the challenges never really go away. Over the past two years I have written about my ADHD several times as I went through different situations in my life. Here’s a quick directory of what I wrote, and what was going on in my head at the time.

I wrote this in April 2019. It was one of my first…