This episode I’m doing something a little different. There is no excerpt from a book, poem, essay or quote. Instead, I just want to talk about TikTok and its coming and going. The on again off again situationship of TikTok between the U.S. government and China, gave me enough time to flip the switch to pursue my goals before I downloaded the app and got sucked into the doom scroll portal club. I have no regrets about the time I wasted on the app. The app taught me so much including: * How to use a rice cooker for other things besides cooking rice * How to kick my fashion up a notch without breaking the bank * How to make a prime rib roast * How to take what resonates from the tarot card readers * The best financial institutions to open a High Yield Savings Account * How to wear a bold red lip with confidence * Perimenopause symptoms ←this helped me not to go crazy * How to deal with toxic situations in the workplace The app also gave me breaking news before the other news outlets: * The collapse of the bridge in Baltimore * All things taking place in Gaza * Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Album * Kendrick vs Drake ← The commentary from TikTokers were deep * 2025 L.A. Fires * Food recalls * P Diddy’s arrest * TikTok going dark in the U.S. Despite everything I’ve learned, the short blackout of TikTok allowed me just enough time to hit the reset button and get back to what I was doing before I downloaded the app. — Want to connect? https://www.tamikacody.com/contact Want to take part in the Story of Survival series? Email your entry to [email protected]. Or put pen to paper and keep the USPS in business by mailing your entry to: Stories of Survival P.O. Box 39072 Washington, D.C. 20016-9072