I used to get so mad at Buddhism and obviously still fight with most of my daily devotions. Buddha and Jesus, just laughing and taking naps while the world is killed to death by assholes and germs. Incidentally, those two things appear to be closely related. Hey guys! What the heck are we supposed to…Read more Good Mourning
mental health
Lean on Me
Two weeks ago we said goodbye to one of Ratchet's legs; legs that had run and hiked miles of trails all the way from Astoria, along the coast of the Pacific Northwest, the mountains of the Cascade Biway, the city streets of Portland and Seattle, even right down the center of Extraterrestrial Highway. Those…Read more Lean on Me
Status Update
The Manhattans count as gospel, by the way. Let’s just kiss and say goodbye...I don’t know if it was the lyrics or those blue suits, whatever it was, it worked. Good grief. I grieved for the last time we went for a coffee walk as a family, when Bubs still had four legs. The last…Read more Status Update
Dear Marsha,
How do we build a life worth living?Professor of behavioral psychiatry and director of Research and Therapy at the University of Washington in Seattle, Marsha Linehan is the founder of a clinical intervention called Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT; a tool that has helped many people hammer their way out of hell, including Marsha. Building…Read more Dear Marsha,
Gaslighting and the Great Divide
"Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's beliefs."-Wikipedia A quick Google search on Gaslighting results…Read more Gaslighting and the Great Divide
It’s a Crime
The headline: 20 Inmates Show the Heartbreaking Cost of Growing Old Behind Bars The invisible subtext: Their crimes are the direct result of untreated trauma within the context of systemic oppression. They are being punished for society’s lack of humanity which essentially makes criminals of us all. That's all I have to say about that,…Read more It’s a Crime
Ziji
Ziji: Buddhist concept of the shining light of divine radiance The building was a layer cake of sheer chaos, divided by shattered windows, narrow stairwells and screaming. You won't find anything sweet like frosting here. She pulled me into the mailroom with desperate urgency which I can't stand first thing in the morning. It was…Read more Ziji
Sweet Nothing
The Gum Wall (do not chew on this) Say a word for Jimmy Brown He ain't got nothing at all -Sweet Nuthin' Velvet Underground We need fantasy to survive because reality's too difficult.- Lady Gaga PTSD turned 40 this year but it's still acting like a teenager; defiant, cliquey, hormonal and a little bit selfish.…Read more Sweet Nothing
Mental Alchemy
"You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better."- Yann Martel, Life of Pi Once upon a time, our thoughts were made of crap and hay. Hey. Hey. Hey! Now they're solid gold. Ta da! It's not that our grief is…Read more Mental Alchemy
Surrender
The Oak Bluffs house from the attic bedroom We laid the ground Before the fall Tacking soft padding Under thin polyester skin A metal press Like irons Shoved her into quiet corners Flaying flesh Flushed Insatiable hunger Taken under ground Palpitations Like some bored Proverbial bird Enough already Getting ready to be ready Didn't you…Read more Surrender
Born in Providence 