Let me introduce myself.

Hello all,

I am a new member here and would like to briefly introduce myself. I always find introductions challenging, as my identity is not something I can subjectively define on a whim, or even within a lifetime. But here it goes.

My name is Summer. I was born to my loving parents and older brother in the lush paradise of rural Hawaii on the summer solstice, hence the name. Growing up in the islands, I spent most of my childhood divided between land and sea. It was not unusual to spend five hours a day, lost in imagination, while floating above coral canopies and witnessing the grace of prismatic light dancing on white sand.

Because I grew up on the slopes of an active volcano, we often went to black sand beaches, where we would build olivine sand castles, jump off lava rocks, and swim with dolphins. When we were not down by the sea, my brother and I would vehemently climb trees to find birds’ nests, battle it out in terrifying green-guava fights, and take turns rolling each other down the hill in wheel barrels.

I have early memories of these small yellow rain boots my mother got for me, filling up with water, while I splashed around in mud puddles, until the sun shone through, casting golden light down and bursting into sun showers. Sometimes my dad would pull our beds outside, onto the lawn, and we would stare in awe at the vast Milky Way, while being cradled by gravity and the faintest smell of white gardenia, greeting us by trade wind. I was enchanted by everything.

Fast-forward, way forward, I am now 27-years-old and living in Houston, Texas. I work at the University of Texas in Houston and hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. I have a special interest in comprehensive-evidence based treatments for mood and anxiety disorders, particularly combat-related post-traumatic stress and co-morbid mental and physical health conditions (i.e. depression, substance abuse and traumatic brain injury) as well as issues related to grief and loss.

I just joined Steemit yesterday. I aim to base the content of my posts around things that interest me and that I found valuable. Some of my interests include psychology, politics, religion, art, history, and writing. I will probably post about my life a bit too. If you find this engaging please like, comment, and follow me!

Best,
Summer

@whitedahlia

(All photos above are mine).