I cried the day that Aslan died.
 
It was in Mrs. Tellex’s first grade class. I had slowly become engrossed in C.S. Lewis’ novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as she read us a chapter each day.

I thought that I was too old for The Lion King to teach me a lesson I had not already learned during the countless times I had parked myself in front of the TV to watch it on VHS as a child. A trip to New York City with my family proved me wrong.

James Corden was my favorite late night television show host. Though he no longer hosts it, his antics on The Late Late Show frequently made me laugh I couldn’t breathe and fight back tears. During a unique episode hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, I teared up for a reason I never expected.

It was late, somewhere close to midnight, as I lay in the hospital bed a few hours after surgery staring up at the TV and thinking how much I admire Rachel Green’s hairstyle throughout Season 1 of the ‘90s sitcom, Friends.