#BeReal – CAROL ESTRELLA

Please welcome my #BeReal guest today, Carol Estrella. The Biggest Hypocrite Life was never “normal” as I was growing up. I was the child of an alcoholic and a non-reachable mother. I was the caretaker, the protector, the salvation of the house. The one that hid my mother from my dad in my room, when…

#BeReal – DAVE CENKER

Please welcome my #BeReal guest today, Dave Cenker.     It started with a simple message. Would you consider writing for me? Just six words. I never expected such a simple request to unravel me on the inside. Truth be told, it was those last two words that really hit an emotional chord for me,…

#BeReal – JULIE ANDERSON

I am truly honored to have Julie Anderson as my #BeReal guest today.    FEARLESSLY VULNERABLE “To live exuberantly–to fully know and be fully known by another—we must be prepared to illuminate the dark spots in our most intimate relationships and in our selves.” –Arianna Huffington, On Becoming Fearless   When I was a little…

#BeReal – Rose B Fischer

The #BeReal guest today is Rose B Fischer.  Thank you Rose!     My father kicked me. Not often but often enough that my heart still hammers if I hear a man’s footsteps close behind me in the hallway. My mother called me disgusting and berated me because my father “couldn’t stand me.” She accused…

#BeReal – KERRY KIJEWSKI

Please welcome Kerry Kijewski as she gets real about love.   Sometimes I think love, pain, shame, and embarrassment are so entwined, I can’t untangle them from one another. The strands of emotion and feeling are separable, if I really look at my past, in reflection, but in the moment I seem to make every…

#BeReal – AMANDA EIFERT

Please welcome my #BeReal Relationships guest today, Amanda Eifert.   It was along time before I had my first ‘real’ relationship. I went on Plenty Of a Fish, a dating site, because my friend had met her husband there. My now ex-boyfriend, was not like the other men I talked to on the site. He…

#BeReal – CRAIG SPENCE

Please welcome my #BeReal Relationships guest today, Craig Spence.   Reality is changing. Folks, I have a confession to make: For the last little while, meaning since about this time last year, I’ve neglected to mention a tiny piece of information. Not so much an out-and-out lie, more one of omission, but a lie still…

#BeReal – LISA LISTWA

Written by: Lisa Listwa Blogger at: The Meaning of Me   Not too long ago, a friend told me I was brave. I think the word she said was brave… she admired my chutzpah in posting my whole and actual weight in a group setting focused on lessening our overall gravitational pull. The compliment did…

#BeReal – Sarina Steinlein

Title: Why does the creative spirit dare to #BeReal? Written by: Sarina Steinlein Blogger at: Sarina Steinlein   Why do poets write? Why do artists paint? Why do musicians sing? What is this compulsion of the creatively minded individual? Some will say the reason for their sleepless nights and endless consummation of caffeine is a…

UGLY ME

My guest today is Jain. Jain is anonymous.  Do I know her?  Maybe I do and maybe I don’t. I will tell you I relate to many of the things she writes about. Am I normal?  Are other people like me?  Does anyone else… Jain has some things to say and she would love if you…