Here’s what to expect when you read my work. (Updated 2/10/21)
Truths: I’ve had frostbite. I’ve been mugged. I’ve been writing for fun since I was six years old. I’ve lived in five states and three countries, and had more than a dozen different jobs. And I’ve swum with sharks — multiple times.
Lie: I write for clicks and couldn’t care less who reads it.
Okay, we all want clicks — but my point is that while I’d love for you to read my work, I won’t write things just to get someone to click that particular title.
I love writing, enjoy helping people, have some strong opinions that resonate with…
It’s not just about my relationship this year.
I learned a long time ago that love doesn’t actually conquer all. As much as we want it to, love alone isn’t enough to keep two people together, to keep their relationship working when it’s not, or to make them see a future together that doesn’t exist.
But love does make the world go around.
It can’t make the bad things disappear, but it helps to make life just a little bit better. Or a lot better. That’s up to you. …
Please stop telling me how I should feel.
Dear Men —
We all have our own individual challenges. Life can be tough for everyone.
Unfortunately, for some reason women still have the specific challenge of warding off unwanted attention, judgment, and pointed remarks from people who expect us to bend ourselves to their “humble” opinions.
And before you go #notallmen me, yes, I know. I really shouldn’t have to say that, but some of you get defensive right off the bat. So for the record, I am of course aware that some of you do your best not to be sexist and patronizing.
But, if you fall into…
Each of you has more potential than you think.
One of my favorite quotes by Neil Gaiman is:
“Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found. Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn. Trust dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story.”
I started writing because I had stories in me that needed to come out. Even at seven years old, I was bursting at the seams. I didn’t know then that I had to trust my dreams and trust my story — I just did.
And as I grew older, I learned to use that passion. Eventually, I…
Increasing your self-awareness can go a long way to figuring out what needs to change.
I have exactly one childhood friend. Throughout my life I’ve moved several times, and though I met and befriended people all over, she’s the only one who’s known me my whole life.
As you can imagine, she knows me the best and sometimes sees what I can’t.
About five years ago, we were having lunch when she asked me out of the blue if I was really, truly happy. And instead of answering yes with a list of reasons why, like I thought I would, I randomly burst into tears.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell anymore. I don’t know…
For the men who love us, but don’t understand what it’s like to be us.
One of the most terrifying moments of my life was in a tent. I didn’t plan for it, but at that point in my life I’d signed up to volunteer for three months working on trails across California.
Sometimes we’d work in campgrounds, too, either doing maintenance, helping the rangers in the ticket booth, or overseeing the campsites. And for the most part, it was fun.
I was young and adventurous, and life was dirty, rugged, and exciting. It was interesting to work with the rangers, and cool to interact with people traveling from all over.
And up until three…
20% of the population feels everything more deeply — and we need people who care.
Since I was a baby, I’ve been easily affected by other people’s moods. I sometimes pick up on what someone else is feeling before they even realize they’re feeling it. And I often have physical reactions to emotional overwhelm.
Violence in movies makes me ache, and I remember disturbing scenes for the rest of my life. Almost every night I have vivid dreams — nightmares if I’m stressed.
Over the years I’ve been told by countless people that I’m too sensitive. Too soft. And it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized I wasn’t alone.
Sometimes anger does work to get a point across.
We were at a party. I didn’t know him well, but we were friends of friends, so I wanted to give him a chance.
He seemed nice, though perhaps a little hard-headed. I was aware from our mutual friend that he hadn’t had much dating experience. And from our initial conversation I gathered that he was an interesting person, but somewhat sheltered.
Somehow we’d gotten onto the topic of relationships, and he said something about this girl that he’d liked but never really got to connect with.
And somewhere in there he nonchalantly referred to her as a slut.
I…
In 2021, it’s time to make sure we’re still decent human beings.
Fellow humans —
The world feels heavy right now.
2020 changed all of us, in one way or another. People lost jobs. Businesses shut down. Society turned on one another, and a lot of people died. It was a year of turmoil and division, but if we can learn from it, hopefully it was also a year of progress.
It wasn’t hard to see that as the year went on, people all over — across the U.S. and the world — became more and more judgmental. More divisive. In some places, even downright vicious.
And in some cases, it was…
If I could figure out what needed to change, so can you.
I was once invited on a party yacht by a group of strangers I’d just met at the bar.
It was trivia night, and we’d hit it off. I, ever the social butterfly, had somehow made such an impression that they wanted me to come on their yacht the next day to continue the party.
To this day I’m not sure why I made such an impression. My sense of humor, my ability to mingle, or just my eagerness to clink drinks — who knows.
But truthfully, it wasn’t that unique of an occurrence at that point in my life…
Samantha Blake
Making a change through the power of words and human connection. I write about empowerment, relationships, & how to conquer life.
