I’ve been playing a lot of games of solitaire recently. I enjoy everything about the game: The familiar shape and sound of the cards stacking up. The seemingly infinite ways one can win a game. The quiet meditation the game requires, concentration away from any screen. I think I’ve been drawn to the game recently…

I’d be untruthful if I didn’t admit that I’ve stumbled, I’ve struggled, and I’ve failed to do what I set out to achieve in these last work-filled 3 months. But I’ll tell you what I know now to be true: It’s always been easier for me to run away from what haunts me, challenges me,…

Commitment. Not an easy concept for many of us, including my creative, shape-shifting self.

I walked off the graduation stage with a degree and a 12-month plan — a classic, predictable Bethany Bella move. It was the University of Arizona, or bust. I had already talked with a potential thesis advisor about our shared research interests, and I had plans to visit her in June. I even blocked off…

Me at NSLC. Me designing creative projects. Me meeting new people and hearing their stories. After all this time, I see that’s me.

This letter was inspired by a recent initiative posted by my alma mater Ohio University in their Ohio Today magazine.