How do you use social media? On National Look-Alike Day, I reflect on identity, authenticity, and why resemblance doesn’t define who we are. This post goes deeper—beyond appearances and into what really matters. Plus, I’m attending an early screening of Michael this week.

My Strange Encounter on a Boston Subway It’s one of those small mysteries that has stayed with me. Not because anything happened. But because something could've happened, had either of us spoken up.

We never spoke—just locked eyes across a Boston subway car after a concert. I thought it was one of those moments that fades with time. Years later, she found me. What I thought was unfinished wasn’t. This is a story about recognition, timing, and a connection that didn’t disappear.

The Place I Never Want to Visit What place in the world do you never want to visit? For me, the place I never want to visit isn’t on a map—it’s a mindset.

The place I never want to visit isn’t a country or city—it’s a mindset where hatred, misunderstanding, and lost truth take over. This piece reflects on choosing empathy, honesty, and connection instead.

Tired of Politics? You’re Not Alone Enough Said — Or Is It?

I am tired and angry at all the noise, division and the constant weight of it all. It feels like there’s no escape, no middle ground, just pressure from every direction. Everyday it's something new. In short politics has exhausted me.

A Visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts Coming back hasn’t been about starting over. It’s been about uncovering something that was always there, just layered over with time and frustration.

A visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts became my answer to today’s prompt: what positive change have I made? Through grief, I found my way back to writing—turning art, memory, and loss into something worth holding onto.

A World Health Day Reflection: The Body I Live in Now There was a time I didn’t think about my health. Didn’t think about what was growing inside me or needed fixed. And never thought how far I could go or how hard I could push. I just lived.

With today being World Health Day, I give you my reflection on living with heart disease and cancer. From daily pain and medications to mental resilience, this is an honest look at what health really means when your body changes and every day becomes something you have to manage differently.

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As Artemis II heads to the moon, it brings me back to something more personal. A story about space, distance, and a connection that never quite left. Some moments happen.…

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How COVID-19 Changed Relationships and the One Connection I Still Carry There was something honest about it. No distractions. No noise. Just two people meeting in a moment where connection meant more than convenience.

What COVID changed in me wasn’t just routine—it was how I see connection, loss, and what truly lasts. A new 3:16 story about relationships, reflection, and the quiet understanding that some people never fully leave us.

A New Chapter in My Cancer Fight while Finding Grace Is this really my 'Hail Mary' moment in this cancer battle before something more invasive comes up? I'm not sure ,,,

Starting Xtandi (enzalutamide) marks a new chapter in my cancer fight—one balanced carefully alongside heart disease. It’s not about cure, but control, stability, and holding onto quality of life. This is what moving forward looks like for me, with hope and grace.

Slow’s Bar BQ Detroit: The Best Burger I’ve Ever Had You could see it in the smiles, hear it in the conversations. It wasn’t just about the food—it was about being together ...

After visiting Michigan Central Station, we headed across Michigan Avenue to Slow’s Bar BQ. Great food, great company, and the best burger I’ve ever had made for a perfect ending to a meaningful day in Detroit. A moment worth sharing.

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Who was your most influential teacher? Mrs. Anderson was mine. Tough, no-nonsense—but when I needed it most, she showed me compassion I never forgot. That…

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Finding Peace in My Cancer Journey There comes a point where you have to trust your instincts. For me, communication had started to break down ...

A new chapter in my cancer journey begins. Meeting with a medical oncologist I trust brings a sense of peace, clarity, and direction. Sometimes the right change makes all the difference—reminding me I’m not facing this alone and there are still options ahead.

Michigan Central Station: What I Expected… and What I Found What stood in front of me wasn’t the abandoned station I’d seen for years—it was something entirely different. Clean. Sharp. Brought back.

I visited Michigan Central Station expecting more than a renovation. What I found was something different—a beautifully restored space that didn’t quite feel the way I thought it would. Maybe what I was looking for wasn’t something that could be rebuilt.

The Surprising Truth How My Friends Actually See Me Maybe I’ve been holding onto moments too long… while you’ve been watching how I move through them. And maybe—just maybe—somewhere between all of those words is who I’ve been all along.

Maybe I’ve been holding onto moments longer than I should… while others have been watching how I move through them. What if the way people see us tells a different story than the one we tell ourselves? This is mine—through their eyes.

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Heart procedures and cancer and the love that left in the middle of it. This is a story about fragility, silence, and the weight of love fully given—even when it wasn't returned. All…

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Is Your Family Ready? Preparing for Uncertain Times with a Safety Plan Preparedness isn’t about fear. It’s about responsibility, awareness, and peace of mind.

Recent news about tensions between the United States and Iran is a reminder that uncertainty can affect us all. While we can’t predict the future, families can prepare. Here’s how to create a simple family emergency safety plan to help protect and reconnect loved ones if a crisis occurs.

A black cat, a cancer appointment, and a hospital elevator with a story behind it. My latest oncology visit brought answers, reflections on treatment side effects, and a reminder that some moments in life carry deeper meaning. Sometimes what feels like superstition is simply life coming full circle.

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For Women’s History Month, Agnes, Kristyn, Dani, Lily and Tammy each answer the lifelong question of which woman inspires them the most. As do I. Read them…

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Letter to My 100-Year-Old Self: What I Hope I Never Forget I found tears swelling in my eyes as I wrote this this letter to my 100-year-old self.

What would you say to the person you'll be at 100? I wrote a letter to my future self about survival, love, illness, and the quiet moments that define a life. This one came with tears. Read “Letter to My 100-Year-Old Self.”

The Last Thing I Learned About Love from Someone I Love Love isn’t confined to a single form. Marriage is one expression of it, friendship another, and occasionally a connection exists that lives somewhere between those definitions.

The last thing I learned about love didn’t come from a book or lecture—it came from someone I love. In this personal essay, I reflect on rare connections, friendship, and why some bonds remain part of us long after life moves in different directions.
#GotLove #LoveMeAnyways #LastThingILearned #Love

Where are you from? For my family, that question isn’t small talk. It touches on birthright citizenship, deportation debates, and what the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees. We are Caucasian, African American, Mexican American, Arab American, Finnish American — one family, citizens by birth and by law

Friendship Loss During Cancer: What No One Talks About There’s a loud grief that comes with the illness that isn’t discussed in treatment rooms. Nor have I written about. It's one that I've just sat on it for the past three years. Until now.

Cancer changes more than your body — it changes your circle. This is about the friendship loss no one prepares you for, the silence that hurts, and what it reveals about who stays. A reflection on numbers vs. roots and choosing love anyway. Read more.

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REPOST: In respect to Mental Health Awareness Month here's the first of two articles I've penned for May in hopes of letting others know they're not alone in their…

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Chapters of my life were written by biology, not choice. But who I've become after the diagnosis & loss is mine. Maybe fate & destiny isn't what happens to us but who we…

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Rick Ollie: Writing Through Illness, Love, and Life Three years ago, when diagnoses and loss began reshaping my world, I could have gone quiet. Instead, I chose to document it.

After more than 300 essays, I’m finally introducing myself. I’m Rick Ollie — writing through illness, love, loss, and life in Michigan. Some chapters were handed to me. The rest, I’m still writing.
#RickOllie #WritingLife #ChronicIllness #Resilience #HeartDisease #CancerJourney #LoveMeAnyways

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Cancer forced a decision: surgery or hormone therapy. I chose systemic control over sawbones. Here’s why I said “hell to the no” and what the numbers are really telling…

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A letter to my younger self about lost love, emotional resilience, and living with cancer. Strength isn’t something you chase—it’s what shows up when quitting isn’t an option. Life is…

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Meeting Olga reminded me why I tell these stories. Her strength isn’t loud, it’s lived. From courtroom to hospital room, she’s proof that purpose doesn’t end when life…

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Life Between Injections: Today I received my second Lupron injection for cancer and reflect on the physical shifts, emotional changes, and quiet strength required while living…

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Year of the Fire Horse? Maybe. But real transformation doesn’t come from myths or zodiac signs. The real fire lives within you — in your grit, your faith, your friends, and your courage to live…

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