mental-health
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What’s the opposite of teaching to the test? Almost every week after bagel breakfast with friends, I head to the thrift store to scour the book section for anything interesting. They have a deal that is buy four books, get the fifth one free that serves as both a challenge and a good stopping point.
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When you don’t need words to convey meaning. We all know what that means, don’t we? Do what you can to help, but make sure you take care of yourself during this time. We don’t need to explain it. The time is what it is. We are living it together. If you’re not heartless (in
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What‘s all this growth for anyway? For a few years now “learn how to garden” has been about two-thirds of the way down my to-do list. I’m not specifically interested in gardening, but my anxious hallucinations have me believing it’s a skill I might need in the future. It feels responsible to be prepared. Unfortunately,
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A mirror broke in my apartment. I was out when it fell. I came home to the pieces scattered across the floor outside my bedroom closet. One of the perks to living alone is that there’s no rush to clean up your messes. You’re the only one affected by them. I let the mirror pieces
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once you pop, you can’t stop Yesterday my kids and I watched Frozen as a low-effort celebration of the solstice. The movie has a special place in my daughter’s heart. The solstice has a special place in mine. We made it to the darkest day of the year. The sun is on her way. Frozen
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what is ordinary forgetting? Lately I’ve been ruminating on memory. It’s the holidays, I guess. I used to be ashamed of my disinterest in the holiday season. The consumerist slant and emphasis on time spent with extended family left me feeling alienated. I’d put on a show for everyone else and keep my disdain for
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Who fashions the tools? Last week I attended a birthday party for a ten-year-old friend of my youngest. I passed the time talking with the other adults who were there with their own ten-year-olds. A friend asked me what my plans were for the holiday. It’s just us, I answered simply. People usually know not
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What it is to think about people who aren’t you I’m a people pleaser. That’s the catchy moniker that the mental health machine appointed for the people who care about the happiness and comfort of other people. Personally, I’m of the opinion that caring about other people isn’t all that bad. Just yesterday, I saw
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what is it good for? Recently I chose myself. Choosing myself felt a lot like something I am not allowed to do. But after I realized exactly who I wanted to be, I didn’t care whether I was allowed. I was going to be it because it felt wrong to be anything else. That meant
Life with ink 