Broken Lives Matter

Hello Lovelies! Today I wanted to share a little personal glimpse. This is from about...a week ago maybe? And it involves a couple little boys who visit my neighborhood often to see THEIR family, and who I've seen before. It was still in my neighborhood but it was under different circumstances, and I wasn't alone then, which would have been nice in this situation as well. It's handy to be able to stay quiet in a conversation that makes you uncomfortable, and just allow the other person to answer all the questions you don't know how to answer off-hand. Alas, as functioning "adults" in the world today we can't always be accompanied in every instance, can we? Sometimes we just have to "boss up" and handle our own business all by ourselves--yea though it isn't easy:) So I was out talking to my neighbor briefly; I had dashed outside to avoid missing him, which I always seem to do, and I didn't miss him! In fact, we had just finished our co

Hello Lovelies! It's not exactly gentle, but it is the reminder we all sometimes need. Particularly those of us struggling in silence, fighting battles we never hint at, feeling like a failure every single day...ahem. The takeaway for all of us is wonderful news--we're not failures! Most often, the struggle is not our fault. We've been dealt a hand and we must play it. I enjoy this image because it is as blaring as some of my own demons and self-doubt over things I didn't ask for and challenges nobody prepared me for.

Hi Lovelies! I can't believe it's been a week since I wrote. It's been busy, but let me also say that I've been struggling to get over depression. Life gets heavy quickly when you're doing everything yourself. But I am still here. Still getting content, trying to work through it. Below is a clip from 3 years ago (by his timeline, but new to me) from Chris Morton. Have I shared him here? I can't believe I haven't--if I haven't. He's amazing. The first man with a hearing impairment to walk across the U.S on his own. And as if that weren't inspiring enough, he heavily documented all of his trials and triumphs; before, during, and after. This one is somehow among my favorites. For all its tragic beauty, it is relateable. When I broke a bone in my hand, though it is a comparitively small break, because I too am labeled a "fall riak", I was given a huge, puffy cast of fiberglass wrapped multipe times in an ACE bandage. And although Chris&#

Hello Lovelies! This warmed my cold-weather-come-early heart. The wind outside is blustery, it's basically been raining for the last two days, but this made all of that go away. I love how in response to his brother's question of what the sheet is, Gabe replies like a Minion from the animated movies--and you totally understand him, the same way those little yellow dudes are understandable:) "Mucomb" could easily be "costume", right? You get it. Which gives me new appreciation for "Minions" movies both standalone and otherwise, in terms of representation. They show people who think that vocal expression can only be one way--that there are other ways. You don't have to understand the words to know what they're saying. Such a simple thing, but look how it affects us! And representation isn't the only good thing about Minions. They are presented as workers, with purpose and drive and things to contribute. Such is ANY disabled person,

This just spoke to me. Not that I'm about to be a doctor or a nurse (of which I am privileged to know a few), but because of my recent post stating this very thing, that I am broken, and how we can heal each other.

Hello Lovelies! Back safely from my quick trip to visit family and make memories. The trip itself was shortened, but extremely sweet. I spent a lot of time with all my favorite people, and then the crawling trip BACK was also enjoyable! This is a bit of a surprise, considering it started with a 5:30 AM wake-up, continued with a 5-hour layover, and ended with an arrival home at exactly Midnight. I want to share this happy post from Facebook as encouragement. Prior to my adventure I had felt lost, searching for myself and kind of just stumbling around in my little circle of the world flirting with everyone and trying to find wholeness from the distinct disadvantage-point (is that a word?) of a traumatized adult with large, barely closed emotional scars. This meme assured me that I'm exactly where and in the condition I need to be. I am not, in fact, AT a disadvantage at all:)

Hello Lovelies! Sharing some deep thoughts from a much better poet than I currently am:) Though back in my glory days I was quite a skilled composer of word symphonies, in the intervening years between then and now the skill has fallen from my grace. Not to mention that it can be so difficult to define preccisely what motivates or doesn't motivate us. I like the following poem because it strikes a particular chord; I frequently pare down my explanations to make them more palettable to other people--what I call "sensitive audiences." People who don't know how to relate to my reasons because they can not relate. But if I know my lovelies, you know me, and no further explanation is needed:)

Update on MY mental health status: all better! I made it out west and life is pure joy. Seeing family, having fun, learning new stuff! Indeed I did a momentary search for a song called "Happy", thinking Pharell Williams' famous incarnation is all that would come up, and I got THIS new-to-me hit. Isn't it amazing what music will do for one's soul? Have a lovely day, lovelies!