Cosmic punchline. Which came first the hurt or the healing? One of the more helpful realizations in trauma recovery was asking who hurt the person who hurt. If we trace human history all the way back to its beginning there is indeed, a punch-line. Sometimes our history looks a little like an eternal…Read more Cosmic Punchline
Shrink Rap
“Anybody who can move, can dance.” -Norma Canner
“It’s the mind that makes the body.”-Sojourner Truth
Me Too
Can't stop researching this week. Since I have to work at a tolerably distressing day job (for which I'm humbly grateful) there never seems to be enough time to finish complete, well rounded thoughts, let alone write whole posts. But this one's persistent. I'm obeying the voices, sitting in my car in front of the…Read more Me Too
Flock
Flock. We find our way back together; birds fish, sheepish nests, wool and air Once upon a while I wasn't there. It's good to die in that sense Egos waffle, wax and wain We only need to worry about the rocks in our box, bag, wagon Keep climbing And what we see each time we…Read more Flock
End-titled
“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale There are over 7 billion people in the world. I often wonder how many…Read more End-titled
No Thanks
It's not that I'm anti mothers or ungrateful for the miracle of human reproduction but I've always found myself averse towards rewarding adult choices. There's something trivializing and strangely dysfunctional about this particular holiday. Again, it's not that I don't appreciate the concept of caregiving, it just feels like the original intent for the holiday…Read more No Thanks
V.I.P
It was a radio, then t.v show that started in the 40's and ran for over 20 years; Queen for a Day. Also called the 'Cinderella show', it featured four women sitting in front of a studio audience while Jack Bailey summarized each of their personal struggles with a poetic, mildly sexist, lilt. The audience would…Read more V.I.P
Hello, My Name is Pleasantville
Pleasantville was a film written, directed and produced by Gary Ross in the late 90's. A dystopian fairy tale of sorts, it didn't do so well in the box office despite the talented, well known cast, stunning cinematography and nostalgic soundtrack. The film has always resonated with me because of its strong undertones of civil…Read more Hello, My Name is Pleasantville
Shrink
Jantelovian Law was created by a Danish author in what is believed to be a moment of literary sarcasm. They're essentially the 10 commandments of selflessness. In Scandinavia you're not a special snowflake. If you attempt to distinguish yourself in tall poppy fashion you're likely to be cut down and sentenced to volunteer as a…Read more Shrink
Witness
It's considered socially commendable to talk about your status as a war veteran, being the survivor of a natural disaster, shark attack or your amazing weight loss journey. People wildly applaud your bravery as you stand on farming equipment in your underpants getting weighed on national television. Lots of circumstances and challenges now come with campaigns,…Read more Witness
Hey, It’s Ok
Over the holidays I talked with a couple of girlfriends who were heartsick over games of emotional tug of war, also known as codependence. Codependent love goes like this: Here's all the shitty, unreasonable, terrible, horrible, no good things this person did and here's all the great, rule-following, generous, responsible, hard-working, sacrificial, exhausting, never-ending, perfect things I…Read more Hey, It’s Ok