ILLUMINATION • March 13 2024

From Anger to Expression:

For the past 5 years, I have navigated the perils of grief. Losing my son, then my grandma less than a year later, has been all too consuming. Here, I cover how to get the pen moving again after such a loss. Starting with a short introduction to the subject of grief.

Grief is a labyrinth of pain, discovery, anger, and love. It is unique to those affected, like a snowflake. It appears to resemble others. But as we know, there are no two exactly alike.

As unique is how you respond and work throu

Human Parts • November 10 2023

Pink is not the Villain

Pink is Not the Villain

What is the very first thing you think about when you think of the color pink? A certain indigestion product, a pop star, or a song perhaps? Since I can remember, the color pink represents a girl, a female, the feminine. Since birth, they put you in a box. Even before that- you are blue for boys or pink for girls at the baby shower.

Societal norms say that I should love pink because I am a girl. But I don’t. It was torturous every time they forced me to put on a pretty

Human Parts • October 30 2023

Finding Solace in Solitude

If I could take back the time lost, I don’t know that I would. I needed this time. My family needed this time. To slow down, to reflect, to grieve and to heal. The grieving and the healing process are long-term relationships. If you ignore or rush these processes, you will not get rid of them. Much like any other problem, you can’t drink, drug or sleep it away. It’s a dormant volcano waiting to erupt. It lays in wait for the most horribly bad timing to pop up.

The social norms of checking on ea

Writing.io • May 3 2023

The Human Cost of the Affordable Housing Crisis: The Struggle To Get Off The Streets - Jay Duran

As A Light in the Night Community Outreach strives to overcome issues related to insufficient storage and insufficient resources, the city of Albuquerque grapples with hurdles in fulfilling legislation for a more comprehensive project.


The Albuquerque Journal recently reported on a plan to introduce a landlord registry aimed at providing valuable insights into the housing crisis. The registry would have shed light on the unethical business practices of landlords who charge exorbitant rents fo

Writing.io • May 4 2023

From Disparity to Hope: Our Plan to Build a Better Storage Solution - Jay Duran

In the first half of 2023, we have already faced many obstacles. The storage location for A Light in the Night Community Outreach is no longer a viable option. The storage company has requested that we no longer sort supplies or serve our community from their location. This new restriction has caused a setback in our ability to perform our duties to this community. This leaves us without a permanent solution in the interim.

This is where you, the donors, really become key. Currently, we are rai

Medium • July 2 2020

I wrote the Governor

And then I got a call from the police

I received an unexpected call from an unknown number that gave me pause. I have Google screen my calls, so I knew it must have been a business professional as they stated that they wished to speak to Mrs. Duran. I quickly answered and was introduced to the Captain of the New Mexico State Police Department.

I was wary of the reasoning behind the call. I didn’t know what to expect of Mr. Captain. I was curious enough, so I humored the man. I quickly realized

Medium • July 12 2023

The Heartbreak of Losing Our Soon-To-Be-Adopted Baby

A sudden turn of events with a text message that leaves the couple heartbroken and shattered, forced to confront the ashes of a future that never was.

I had just found out that the pregnancy did not take from the last insemination and I was back to the drawing board. It had been a few days since that and I received a text. The text.

Now, this did not come in as a complete shock. It did not surprise me that persons taking part in unprotected sex resulted in pregnancy. That is just biology. But

Ridetec • September 29 2016

Tax Help Resources

This topic was one of the hardest to get information on. It still is. I searched through forums and help pages. I searched through Tax software pages and videos. Every state is different, so the information out there again was GENERAL. Ahhhhh!!! There’s that word again. I needed more. I wanted more. I am still learning firsthand what the tax season holds for me. I will, of course, keep you updated. For the mean time here is what I have learned about taxes in NM regarding Sole Pro

Homeless Population • May 3 2023

Albuquerque's Struggle to Address Homelessness and Housing Affordability

Photo by eric anada on Pexels

Ridetec • May 18 2017

What to do when things go right

We’ve all been there. Broke as a mutha suckin joke. Do you have a plan B? Did you even have a plan A?

Living in the moment is great and all. And as boring a topic as this is, we still have to plan ahead. Now calm down I am not talking about your 401 K and IRA and all that jazz. I am talking about this week, this month. Stretch it even to this year. These are short-term goals. It’s not enough to just start thinking about your goals. Get it down somewhere. Write it in a notebook, a sticky note, a

Ridetec • November 19 2016

Nice gals don’t always finish last

I had to write while this was still fresh in my mind. It's almost 3am on Saturday Nov 19th, 2016. I just got home from driving for Lyft and completing a 16 hour day. I worked my normal 8am-5pm job, then I did a block for Grubhub 6-10pm and finally went online for Lyft until about 240am. It was a long ass day, but it was worth it.

Grubhub was a bust. Nobody was tipping much and deliveries were scarce at best. So I flipped on Lyft and was dead for almost an hour. I gave a short ride than cr