" 'The time has come,' the Walrus said. 'To talk of many things: of shoes, of ships, of ceiling wax, of cabbages, and kings; and why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings'."

Conversations are my favorite. Getting to know other people, diving into the deeper parts, figuring out how they tick and why they are the way they are. It truly captivated me. And a huge part of that feeds into my need for genuine communication. It's important to me at the very core of my being. It hasn't always been that way, it's developed over the years. I admit to having been someone who would avoid difficult conversations in the past, who would avoid direct communication in certain instances. But now I truly do not function well without it.

But I've been in many a relationship where the other person doesn't have the same view on communication. And that's difficult. In my mind communication isn't difficult. And you gain so much by being clear and willing to be vulnerable. And so, as I've worked through things with myself and with my therapist, I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm not excusing repeated poor communication, and I'm definitely not accepting it. Opening up takes time, but even that you can be clear about.

Honestly, Easter feels like just the time to do it. Life begins anew. We see it all around us as spring unfolds. We see it in the Gospel lessons; new life. And I'm right there as well. New life—in relationships, with my education, etc. and it feels really refreshing.