These pieces are distinct in many ways. Many were written as a single mother in the city, hoping one day for her ‘happily ever after.' Some were written as a lost woman-child, wandering through the world alone, without guidance, without family, loving things she found in her travels, getting hurt by things she loved, trying to find her way. A lot of them were created as a form of therapy, a response to pain, heartbreak or loss. That’s why I decided to describe this collection as ‘saving my life.' Some turn to harmful behavior, I turned to my pen and paper or laptop. Although birthed in agony, in many of my pieces, you’ll see hope mingled with the tears. I thought fervently about what to include and how to order my writings to make this work cohesive and to have it flow nicely. In the end, I decided to leave the various topics scattered and intact, much like our lives typically are-scattered, yet hopefully, intact.