***Disclaimer: unfiltered sharing ~ ~ ~ have a problem with graphics and F-bombs? Maybe this isn’t for you. I don’t disclose this information in hopes of receiving sympathy… instead it is my hope that by sharing authentically with others, they will find aspects that mirror parts of their own experience or a loved one’s story, and through that, feel connected and less isolated. Our stories are powerful and they are ready to be shared with…
What a journey this last year has been…. 3 or 4 months ago I truly didn’t think there would ever come a time when I’d be sitting upright and able to tell my story, let alone help others who are suffering similar horrendous circumstances with their health. I thought I was a goner. Looking back, I can hardly believe that I made it through everything that happened in these last 12 months. So much transpired.…
It’s 5 a.m. as I lay wide awake in darkness. There is a permeating sense of loneliness as my daughter is not in bed next to me. Her grandmother offered to care for her so that I could catch up on some much needed rest. This week my therapist has been helping guide me into the subconscious layers of my psyche. It hasn’t been an easy process. We are in the process of digging up…
I’ve written you a lot of letters over the years. Tender love letters and exalted poetry… but none quite like this one. You once told me you didn’t want me to write you anymore letters anyway, because “they meant nothing to you.” Here’s a final letter to you. I’ll skip the pleasantries of prefacing this letter with a ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi’ and get right to the heart of it. Afterall, being nice didn’t augment any…
Our culture does such a disservice to single mothers and perhaps parents in general, yet I can only speak from my perspective, observations, and personal experience. I get the sense that parents, when seen a ‘couple’ and unified family unit, receive an abundance of support on many levels, both from each other and their communities. The pressure single mothers feel that is inflicted by a society that has its priorities entirely bass-ackward is harmful not…
In 2019, I didn’t go on any retreats. I meditated less than a handful of times. My yoga mat didn’t see the light of day. I did CPR one shift in the hospital rather than on an almost weekly basis and my Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification temporarily expired after having been active for years. Ego said: ‘you’re failing as a nurse because for the 6 years you’ve been doing this you’ve never let a…
I’ve had several people (mostly females, but some males as well) recently ask me for relationship advice. I feel honored that there are folks placing their trust in what I have learned (and continue to discover) through my own journey and through working as a SANE RN (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) with women who were in abusive situations. This is a long share… but I don’t doubt that you will resonate with parts or all…
Parenthood isn’t always roses and sun-rays. It isn’t always radiant smiles and laughter. It’s not edited to fit into a model of perfection like the above image. It’s not the Director’s Cut version. Sometimes it’s diapers that explode and cover you in poop, or hours of sleep lost for nights and months on end listening to your child cry while teeth break through their gums and you feel helpless in relieving their pain. Sometimes it’s…
Lately I’ve been enjoying talking about sex with people of all ages from different walks of life — random people I’m just meeting as well as family and friends. It drives me crazy that sex is considered taboo by and large in this country/society when in fact, it is the most organic and sacred, HOLY experience there is. Sex is how each and every one of us arrived on this planet. Are you open to…
When I reflect on what the last decade has brought me, hardly any words spring forth begging to be expressed. In its place, there is a deep silence accompanied by a visualization forming… it begins with the image of a placid lake surrounded by a barren desert. The desert symbolizes desolation and loneliness, while the lake represents a reservoir of nourishment, hope, curiosity, and healing. Suddenly, the appearance of the water is reshaped by ferocious…