I’ve written about Toastmaster’s in a few posts recently, but in case some people don’t know what Toastmasters is, I’ll give a brief overview. Toastmaster’s is an international organization, and their mission is to help people become better public speakers and better leaders. There are thousands of clubs throughout the United States. I joined my …
A pointless post
Yesterday, I woke up at 1:00 AM after six hours of sleep (yes, I went to bed at 7:00—thanks Geodon). Waking up that early can go one of two ways. I can be energetic and witty and happy all day (very rare). I am energetic and witty, but easily annoyed and incredibly irritable, pretty much …
The most beautiful word
I know a lot of words. I’ve always been a voracious reader, which has indubitably proliferated my vocabulary…. Anyway! I don’t actually write like that. Point is, my vocabulary is ginormous. But there is one word that is more beautiful than all the rest combined. One monosyllabic word. A word with only two letters. No. …
Loving and being loved
I’ve been completely MIA for the past week or so. Everything is okay. I honestly haven’t felt like writing, mostly because I’ve been reading some books that a friend recommended. One is called Safe People and the other is called Boundaries. Both books were incredibly enlightening, and I’m sure I will write a post about …
My authentic self
Earlier this week, I posted a piece called Taking off the mask. It's about using humor to avoid vulnerability and to keep people at a safe distance emotionally. After some reflection, I’m afraid I inadvertently downgraded the benefits of humor. The cliché saying that laughter is the best medicine is not far from the truth. …
Taking off the mask
I saw the live-action Aladdin last week with two boys I babysit. One of the boys is ten years old and the other one is seven. We had the following conversation on the way home: D (10): Who do you think was the funnier Genie? The cartoon or this one? Me: Well, Robin Williams played …
Just a book idea: Part 2
Here is the second installment of my book The Ultimate Guide to Not Sucking at Human Interactions: One person’s painful account of being awkward Here's Part 1, in case you missed it. Part 2: You probably didn’t actually move to Alaska, so we can pretend like you never saw chapters 4 through 7—Also, tips on …
Acceptance
I’m not sure what to write about this morning, so I am using a prompt from Beckie’s Mental Mess, a blog written by an amazing advocate for mental illnesses. She is also very supportive of other bloggers who want to share their stories about mental illness. When you first found out that you had a …
The Casual Vacancy — J.K. Rowling
2 out of 5 stars This book was disappointing. It was disappointing from a literature perspective, not because “it isn’t anything like Harry Potter,” which is a common complaint about this book. It isn't anything like Harry Potter; a lot of things aren’t like Harry Potter, but they still have substance and believable characters. The Casual Vacancy …
Hope
Depression is darkness. An absence of all things good. Nothing looks, sounds, or feels right. There is no relief; there is only pain. When someone asks what hurts, the only accurate answer is, “Everything.” It’s impossible to articulate the hole depression leaves in your soul. You do not feel whole or worthy. There is no …
