Letters of Self-Compassion: You’ve Come So Far!
A reflection on what self-compassion means.
Tag: recovery
Necessity and Hope
It feels profoundly selfish to be constantly in need. It might seem helpful to make comparisons – there are people worse off, there are people better off. Yet the fact remains that each day contains necessity. We all need food and a place to sleep. People who’ve always had their basic needs met see wisdom… Continue reading Necessity and Hope
Rethinking Victimhood
“Don’t be a victim.” “You have a victim mentality.” “I’m not a victim.” “I’m not like a typical victim.” These statements are often normalized and seen as signs of strength and resilience. We don’t want to give our abusers so much credit as to define ourselves by what they did to us. However, these phrases… Continue reading Rethinking Victimhood
How Harmful is Educational Neglect?
For the past several weeks, I’ve been re-entering the world of Duolingo. Since I first used the app about a decade ago, it has received a full makeover and many additional courses. It now includes math and music challenges, and I’ve been enjoying those a great deal. When you start a new course, the app… Continue reading How Harmful is Educational Neglect?
Parrot Performance
I didn’t know how to connect. I only knew what I was taught, and I was taught badly. Like a parrot in a cage, I learned the language of my captors. My parents kept me trapped inside a small world, and I only knew how to speak the way they taught me to. Dad was… Continue reading Parrot Performance
Beginning Again
I really appreciate every person that takes the time to visit my blog. It’s 2023, and there are thousands of posts and ads fighting for your attention each day. The fact that you think of my name and either type it into your browser or fight past the noise of your email inbox to click… Continue reading Beginning Again
Ryann’s Hospitalization and Diagnosis
I haven’t written here on the blog all month because I’ve been dealing with a medical emergency with my partner, Ryann. It has taken almost the entire month to figure it out, and we are still waiting on final test results. Here is a more detailed update. Ever since he got Covid-19 in March 2020,… Continue reading Ryann’s Hospitalization and Diagnosis
Heartlessness and Hate, Part 2
In Christian homeschool speech and debate, we were told that we were learning logic and critical thinking. What we learned was a kind of feigned intellectualism, one that behaves under the pretense that the most reasonable reaction to anything is no reaction at all. Almost without fail, the winning competitors were charismatic and attractive, smooth… Continue reading Heartlessness and Hate, Part 2
My Homeschool Transcript
I was taught primarily for religious and political purposes, not to prepare me for independence in adulthood. My high school transcript, and the fact that I wrote it myself, demonstrates how little I was taught. For me, being homeschooled meant that my access to information was severely limited by what my parents thought was true.… Continue reading My Homeschool Transcript
Prioritizing Recovery
It’s been over seven weeks since I last blogged, and every day I feel guilty for it. While I know that the perfect is the enemy of the good, I often visualize and imagine how excellent my writing would be, if only I could get my mind to clear. But my mind has not been… Continue reading Prioritizing Recovery