Dear Reader,

Welcome to The Bloomin’ Onion’s third issue—Issue Three: Bloom.

As I write this, my senses are renewed. My body, arising with the bloom of the new spring, is rejuvenated and ready to tackle the rest of the year. I sit here, tap, tap, tapping away on my keyboard—the window open, the sixty-two-degree breeze rustling my shirt, my sinuses clear, breath fresh.

Bloom is meant to be a respite, a reminder. Yes, there are many terrible things happening in our backyard and around the world right now, but take just a moment to pause. Rest for just a measure. Nobody is going to fault you for living for a few minutes. You can go back to shouting, protesting, releasing your anger when it’s over—I know I will. Better yet, use this. Let these words fuel in you a blooming sensation. Be happy that good things exist and mad that bad things do, too. Go out there and fight the bad in the name of the good.

Enjoy the words presented to you here. Some of the work is uplifting, some is dramatic, some might leave you with a pit in your stomach. But all of it blooms from one thing to another. There is a change, a movement from A to B. The scale rises a key. The undertones crescendo. Experience your feelings while you read. Sit with them. Write them down. Remember them.

And remember this: You are good. You are enough.

Sounding my Barbaric Yawp,

Daniel Groves