Illegibly K.M. West

Category: Musings

  • “Don’t dream it, be it.”

    There’s something appealing about starting over. So much so, that we have built it into our collective consciousness–we turn over new leaves, we get fresh starts, we make New Year’s Resolutions. History has the human race celebrating the ensuing New Year as early as 2000 BC (although back then, the calendar started in March). Our…

  • On taking yourself seriously.

    “Power is perceived. No one has it; you just say you have it and other people will believe you.” The Collapse series is a complete passion project for me, an opportunity for me to learn and explore the topics that already fascinated me. When I started, I vowed to try to represent different belief systems…

  • Pulse.

    Pulse.

    There’s a phone ringing somewhere in the room, followed by another, and another. The constant chirping and buzzing, the occasional song chosen by the owner to represent their own or the caller’s personality, all just noise amidst the chaos. Echos of “Where are you,” “Are you okay,” and “Please, just call me back,” vibrate through…

  • My Body is a Cage

    My Body is a Cage

    “My body is a cage that keeps me from dancing with the one I love, but my mind holds the key.” – The Arcade Fire Sometimes, it’s hard to recognize the emotional and spiritual effect our bodies can have on our well-being, or vice versa. My own body has caused me a lot of pain…

  • Patience

    Patience

    With my birthday fast approaching, it’s near time for my annual self-inventory, a ritual which began for me the night before my 10th birthday. Then, 9-year-old me lay in bed, pondering my seemingly long existence, and cried because I felt like a chapter of my life was ending. I was entering the double-digits. Nothing would ever be…

  • Fitness and Fatness

    Fitness and Fatness

    In Western culture, for whatever reason, Fitness and Fatness are seen as opposing forces. They’re two mutually exclusive categories that file everyone into one of two camps: The Fit or The Fat. For those of you who read my blog, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a huge proponent of body positivity and, as a yoga instructor,…

  • Don’t Say Sorry

    Don’t Say Sorry

    Food for thought this morning: If you want to say “Thank You,” don’t say “Sorry.”

  • We Could Be Heros

    We Could Be Heros

    “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or…

  • [Each] Otherness

    [Each] Otherness

    In my last post, I talked a little about feeling on the outside. In the following days, I was met with some wonderful responses from others who also experience this issue, which is a fun, surprisingly inclusive twist on an emotion that is, by definition, alienating. This sense of connectedness–or the fact that when someone shares something deeply…

  • Time for a Change

    Time for a Change

    I started this blog almost 4 years ago when I found out I would be moving to Oklahoma for work. I titled it “Just OKaleigh” as a play on how Oklahoma is “Just OK,” and listed the tagline as “Tracking my transition from Texas to OOOklahoma.” But it’s been 3 years since I settled into…