My clients are the ones doing the dirty work—the social workers, the detectives on sexual abuse cases. Their victims are the powerless, the vulnerable, the dependent. Together, we meet in the darkest recesses of humanity, working through the shock and sadness, reminding ourselves why we do this: to help the greater community. I like workingContinue reading “The Weight of the Underbelly”
Tag Archives: self-care
Who I’m Supposed to Be
There’s nothing like being a full-grown, card-carrying adult fumbling with Elmer’s glue and too-small kids’ scissors. An hour, maybe even two spilled into crafting. Nothing fancy—just inch-wide, eight-inch-long strips of red, white, and green paper glued together to create a Christmas daisy chain. Something about gluing my fingers to the paper (and occasionally to eachContinue reading “Who I’m Supposed to Be”
Protecting Your Peace
Belly breathing—or diaphragmatic breathing—calms the nervous system. A fact I was reminded of in an educational video. So here I am, filling my lower abdomen with air, releasing it gently, and repeating. Because on nights like this, when writing feels de-prioritized, and the space for it seems nonexistent, that panicky voice creeps in. The oneContinue reading “Protecting Your Peace”
Self-Sabotage’s Sinkhole
I am no master of mental health. The thought hits as loud as a gong as I tread barefoot—lightly but quickly—across the super-fluffy bath mat, searching for a towel. It’s in moments like these, alone and freshly showered, that I find myself at war with my own thoughts. This realization comes as a defense, anContinue reading “Self-Sabotage’s Sinkhole”
Mapping the Territory of Confidence and Doubt
Are you able to discern the difference between when you’re in an insecure or secure state of being? As I sat shoeless and cross-legged on the floor of my office with a client, who also sat barefooted and cross-legged on a nearby brown leather loveseat, the focus of our hour-long counseling session fell on thisContinue reading “Mapping the Territory of Confidence and Doubt”
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
The farty smell in the laundry room, which I solved last week but didn’t, is no more. In bending to clean behind the dryer, my bird-dog nose sniffed a scent that, if in cartoon land, my face would turn green, and I’d fall over with x’s in my eyes. We have two washer drains IContinue reading “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”
Heart Healin’
When I drift to the land of not, to a space of no more, I wonder why I came. To grieve, to breathe, for a bit of reprieve? Sometimes I’ll sift through the rubble of the past for answers. I’ll see a hill of bricks, pick one up, and analyze its shape and lines. DidContinue reading “Heart Healin’”
You’re So Vain
Aren’t we all doing the best we can? You might disagree, and that’d be alright cause we all know your Uncle Joe could be doing better. I tried that sentence on Dave to see if it’s funny. He gave a hearty laugh with a, “Well, yeah, that’s because I have an Uncle Joe, and heContinue reading “You’re So Vain”
Toddler Talk #1
A once-blank journal rests on a ledge above the piano. Once-blank, you ask? Yep, but it’s starting to fill fast. For 950 days, the “The Kids Say the Darndest Things” diary has sat waiting for Evelyn-isms to spring forth, and although it’s still far too early in the talking race, I thought I’d share a few.Continue reading “Toddler Talk #1”
May Day! May Day!
How is it possible to feel like I’m drowning and want to escape life’s constant demands while at the same time picking myself up and plugging away instead? Is it the responsibility I feel towards other people? Do I know the feeling will likely be temporary? Or is it that by now, even if it’sContinue reading “May Day! May Day!”
Going On 40 