The Zen master and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh asked, “What would it be like to awaken each morning in gratitude, aware of the precious gift that the new day has to offer us?”

Last night I had dinner with another adopted person. We both struggle with depression, and we talked about wanting love, wanting a partner who felt like an equal. We talked about our hearts, the tightness of them, and the fear that we will die without having bloomed.

I had this idea when I was working with my memoir-writing group because I didn’t want these writers, at the end of the year when they are done with their project, to feel the way I did when I finished You Don’t Look Adopted.

I want you to know that you are good and real and perfect, even when you have dirt under your nails and you think about fucking.

Here is a guest blog post from my friend Karri. You are welcome. xox

I am so grateful to learn about “the other side” of the coin of relinquishment and loss and birth and mother and child and etc. I want to know everything about what it’s like to be a first/birth/natural mother.

I asked some questions of adopted people on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If I misquoted you, left off your answer by mistake, or if you want to add a response, please email me at anneheffron@gmail.com.

What do you want?

You know how birds fly into windows? It’s a terrible noise, that thunk. People walk into windows, but not as often, I’m guessing, as birds fly into them.

I wanted to give you, dear readers, a gift, so I asked my friend April Dinwoodie if she would write a post for my blog. I knew the would hit it out to the park because she is a walking heart. She lives with a fierce, wild courage that is always informative and surprising and often deeply subversive and funny.

I love the words mystery and wonder, but sometimes I forget just how important they are to me.

If you want to write but feel stuck, crawl for a while. Make lists instead of sentences. Take naps. Dream about the things you want to write.