Humanity
Hibernation
To understand my need to hibernate, you need to know a bit about my mental state. And my physical state, for that matter. I'm 53. I'm fat. I have asthma. I'm anemic. I have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is exacerbated by the death of my husband five years ago; they call this "primary grief reaction: anxiety". I have a tendency toward seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as a legacy of a giardia infection back in 1992 (did you know those little assholes can live up to 20 minutes in a chlorinated swimming pool?), and I'm prone to upper respiratory crud - sinusitis and the like. And my vitamin D levels are low even by Seattle standards.
By Jenn Kirkland4 years ago in Confessions
What Emotional Armor Looks Like
My armor showed up this morning as I got ready to meet a new friend, Lori, at a cafe. In the months since we had met, Lori and I had only known a student-teacher relationship (I’m the student) — until today. I was a bit nervous when I reached out to Lori yesterday, suggesting that we spend time together in a different way: coffee or tea, maybe? And some discussion?
By Patti Cobian (she/her)4 years ago in Confessions
Someone's Touch
Distance was a place where I had been overs overs again moved from that place to place I just made a home most anywhere. This time it was different, I came across many house and I had a very unique way of obtaining my houses I would get an object laying close by the house I liked when I would go to visit this houses that were vacant for rent.
By Marian Cavazos 4 years ago in Confessions
Sailor
Everything about the experience was breathtaking and soul searching. It was a time of breaking, creating and hatching from an unknown shell. TJ was on a quest to learn and interprete the meaning of his life. Every step he took was unstable and without any sense of direction. Deep within the crevices of his heart, he somehow knew his path was ordained, orchestrated by a power greater than himself. There were days when his steps seemed to mark time. He seemed to be headed nowhere with no purpose and there were times when he was motivated to walk tall, like the Sailor he longed to become.
By Hadar Shmaryahu Ya'akov4 years ago in Confessions
Falling Colorblind in Autumn
To the one that made me feel, thank you. The peace and calmness you brought me is the luxury I feel in myself. The joys in happiness and the smells of what we call connections. Purity in innocence and candle wax dripping, I fall for you like pedals, naturally falling from its flower. Inspiration and fantasy are what you gave to me, the strength to move and the power to be moved. My guard falls down faster than the light can see, I check myself more than once, so I make sure I can still be me.
By The Kind Quill4 years ago in Confessions
It's Time For a Change and a New Home!
My family and I had wanted to upsize for many years, but my wife and our neighbor had a verbal agreement that neither family could move, given how "tight" both families were. Countless friends and family preached against upsizing as it meant we would collect more junk. Try as a might; I could not convince my wife to consider moving away from our neighbor as she would not break the agreement. However, as everyone knows, the pandemic has taken every minor issue and exacerbated it, leading to our neighbor opting out of the informal deal and deciding to move to a new home. The reasons were many but originated with the disappointment with the elementary school system and the homeowner's associations' disdain for any shed additions to our houses. While my wife was upset at first, we both quickly realized it was all for the better. We would now be free to begin the next phase of our lives.
By Jeffrey Clos4 years ago in Confessions
Sunflower Summer
On the surface things can seem so calm. Like the outdoors when the morning sun rises and the world seems to move just a little bit slower. A sense of serene takes over. It allows you to soak up the energy and connect to a universal place. Like a sunflower using photosynthesis to obtain the nutrients it needs to flourish.
By Meegan Swan4 years ago in Confessions
A Mother's Transition. Top Story - November 2021.
Before I became pregnant, I was unaware of the option to skip labor when giving birth. All my prior experiences with the process of bringing a human being into this world followed somewhat of a formula; first a person creates life inside of them for nine months, then the ever-dramatic cramping and breaking of the water occurs, then there’s a chaotic rush to the hospital, then the hours of blood-curdling screams of agony and buckets of sweat, and finally a tiny bundle of joy emerges. On every television show that tackled the baby topic, and in my own life when my sister had my niece, the formula ensued. However, my journey into motherhood differed greatly from my preconceived gatherings.
By Jules Day (they/them) 4 years ago in Confessions
How I Benefited From Covid
[The following was submitted for the 2021 Hubert Butler Essay Prize, where it was awarded a runner-up prize. The context is the essay was to be titled “ “During the plague I came into my own” (Anthony Hecht). Who or what benefited from Covid-19?” As such, the essay begins in reference to that title.]
By Conor Matthews4 years ago in Confessions
The book of love
I was infuriated, I always was when I spoke to my mother. Her actions had been proof of my insignificance since before I was born. I had always been viewed as something she could use and manipulate to get what she wanted; Even the way I was brought into this world was just her manipulating my dad into staying with her. She told me that once, but she would never admit it sober.
By Indalia4 years ago in Confessions
