The disappointment arrived just after lunch. That promotion you hoped to get? Nope. No raise, either, because your boss wants you to make a few improvements in your job, tweak your skills, have more time to grow – even though ...

Hunker down. That's what you'll be doing for the immediate future: trying to stay well or get well or just waiting. You've had enough TV and the pantry's as clean as it'll ever get, so maybe it's time to find ...

Heeeeey, look over here! You look fine today, Mama, Sugar, Honey, Baby, fill-in-the-blank with names you're called by men you don't know. Just think, Sweetie, Pretty, you were minding your business before this monkey business started. And just know, by ...

You've always held such promise. People could see it in you, starting when you were small: you were going to go places, do good, make a mark on the world. They were proud to know you, happy to watch you ...

Your hand is in the bag again. Those French fries you bought aren’t going to make it home, that’s for sure. You should’ve bought a double order; your burger won’t taste the same without them alongside. Sometimes, a craving hits ...

Meet the Author Denise M. Baran-Unland

Your tickets have been purchased. Reservations were made in your name and all that’s left is packing. Yep, you’re heading out for the weekend, a week, a month, gone on the trip of a lifetime and as you’ll see in ...

It’s not too late for that last gift So, it’s a wrap. Everything’s under paper and under the tree. You’re done with all your shopping, except for one person. Or two. Maybe four. So what do you get for that ...

It’s all yours. You own it, got it, paid for it, you even have the receipt. That thing: you fought hard for it and nobody can take it away. But – as in the new book “White Negroes” by Lauren ...

You’re really going to miss your little pet. He hasn’t been feeling well lately, and you know that the worst thing is coming soon. You’re not sure how you’ll act and you’re not sure what you’ll do when it happens, ...

Other kids can be so mean. In your classroom, they call you names and whisper bad things. On the playground, they tease you, and it hurts your feelings. You wish you had more friends, and that things were different. But ...

You’re doing okay. Shaky, most days, and you can’t stop crying but you’re doing okay. Thanks for asking, although nobody ever really wants to know. They look away, up or down or anywhere but at the truth: you’ve lost a ...

The chair you now sit in was once occupied by someone else. You are the second or fifth or forty-fourth to hold the job but get ready: in this position, everything you do is critiqued and measured against your predecessors ...

Nobody said it would be easy. You have your eyes set on something but doing it will take time, sacrifice, and effort. You’ll get things right, but you’ll also get in your own way before you get to where you ...

You can’t breathe. There’s really no describing the panic when that happens. Your ribs struggle to rise, your chest feels like it’s being stomped, you’re on fire, and your brain screams. Your arms flail. Your hands grasp at nothing, and ...