Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
Ever get to the point in life when you are ready to throw your hands up and scream? Frustrations and anguish seem to be coming from all sides at you. Almost at a point of seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. When is enough really going to be enough? If it is enough, then what? What can you do? A time when it feels like life keeps throwing obstacles at you. Making you wonder if you are strong enough to get through life. Questions of why is this always happening to me? Or why can’t I just …
Sitting here watching my son play with his friends in the neighborhood, I start to think about children and childhood. Are we who we are because of our childhood, because of our past? Does the past dictate our present? The Others I remember driving in my parent’s car when I was younger, looking at all the houses flashing by. I would think about the people that may be living inside the buildings. Is there a family with kids inside? Maybe there was more than one family living there? Could there be kids too? Or maybe it was a group of …
It is one thing to face life’s hurdles. It is another when you have a loved one that is facing life altering challenges. The amount of emotional battles your mind and body fight can make your head spin. The vulnerability alone can cripple the strongest man. Is it really worse There is a phrase that I have heard people say, “There is always someone that has it worse than you.” I need be honest. I hate that statement. Yes, there are people in the world that struggle through life with no family, no money, no home or job. Or they …
It is just a mark, a symbol forcing a pause, but not an end. The semicolon, a punctuation mark that is commonly used in English grammar to indicate a pause in the sentence, a continuation to follow. Just a dot and swish has a strong presence. This mark is not just a mark to others. It is a symbol of taking a pause in life and finding the way to continue. To start anew, all the while acknowledging that the past happened and moving on. A mark of surviving. Survivor that is stronger than before. Surviving the Good and Bad …
When we are going through life, turning the pages in our stories, every person we meet is a character. That character adds shape to our story. When we think about our own mental health chapter in our stories, we need to not only think about ourselves, but all of those characters in our story. Characterizing As we focus on our health, we need to look at the people in our lives to determine their role. In my life story, I have people that are clearly in the supporting role and people that are in the story as more static roles. …
I have been talking about taking care of yourself in “Do you have enough time to take care of YOU?” and finding who is supporting you in “Do you have all of the support you need?“. Ultimately, are we paying the high price of always trying to be the superman or wonder woman of our family and friends? Stress and pressure can always come on small and build, and BUILD, until it overwhelms…then BOOM! Now there are problems. Building Pressure I have been finding myself hitting that last brick wall before I get to the BOOM of my mind. Constant …
But who supports you? The feeling of the weight of the world sitting on your shoulders can be unbearable at times. Running around, trying to take care of everyone. Coworkers, bosses, friends, parents, and siblings. Don’t forget your children, spouses, significant others, and grandparents. Providing care and interest into their daily lives. Always showing each your devotion and love for who they are and what they do. Where is the support I am sitting here thinking that I am lucky in many ways to have the support I do have. Each person in my life supports me in various ways. …
We all do it. Talk to ourselves, and in some cases, answer ourselves. “Ugh, why did I do that?” “Because you thought it was cool, but now it is just silly.” “I know!” “Not going to do that again, are you?” “Nope!” all said by me to me. Do you ever notice how freeing it can be sometimes? To be able to express some of the emotions you have pent-up in your mind, scratching to get out. We all know talking is one way to express your feelings. But what if you don’t want to let people know, but really, …
Day in and day out, you are using minutes and hours of every day to take care of coworkers, friends, family. What about you? When was the last time you took care of you? Do you have a significant other that takes care of you? Any family members that take care of you? Everyone deserves to be cared for, in any and all ways. Care enough to choose I have family members that recently chose to take care of themselves. Their parents can do only so much. They can love them. Be there for them, but they needed more. So, …
WARNING: This was very difficult for me to write and may be difficult for many to read. That one day back some 20 years ago in September that changed everything in the United States. I remember driving into work hearing about it. Coworkers at the time that lived nearby. I heard of people saying they were supposed to be on one of the planes, but for some reason they weren’t. Friends telling me about family and friends they lost. After that and to some degree even now, my heart races every time I see a shadow of an airplane cross …