May is Mental Health Awarness month. I suffer from anxiety and depression. Many people do. I imagine many mental illnesses require the same if not more attention than depression does. It is exhausting always having to search yourself for motive and intention. It isn’t easy to separate rational ideas and expectations from irrational ones. Reality…
So many of us have an unclear perspective of ourselves. We can’t see what other people see. Why? Well… We all see things differently. For every 10 people who find me unattractive another 10 will find me average and yet another 10 will find me beautiful. I think the trick is to practice selective listening.…
My #BeReal guest today is Shawn Henfling. “I don’t need to be Michael Jordan but I’d at least like to be in the NBA.” I don’t like myself. Rather, I don’t like who I think I am. I can’t really hate myself because I don’t know who “myself” is. I’ve gotten through 38 years of…
Today I am honored to welcome SA Smith to #BeReal. When I was asked to participate in the Be Real campaign I was honored. I thought of course, this is right up my alley. If you are familiar with my column, Byte of Life, at Feminine Collective you know I am all about being your…
Today my RELATIONSHIPS ARE HARD guest is Lizzi Lewis. Just shy of a year after telling Husby I couldn’t be married to him any longer, I stood with the decree absolute in my hands. Unassuming paper and complicated legalese confused me at first – was this really it? It was really it, and after a…
My #BeReal guest today is Britta Buchanan. What does it mean to #bereal? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, in the context of how I perceive myself and in the context of how others perceive me. As I write this, I am wrapping up one semester of teaching English in Thailand with the…
I’ve discovered in the search for who I am that I’m not just one thing. You see… I kept making the mistake of trying to define myself. I am not JUST anything. I am all the different colors between and including black and white. I am a prism reflecting myself into the world. I…
I pretend not to notice or care. That’s just life. It happens. I see you reading, messaging, answering, flirting, complimenting, spending time elsewhere and giving all your attention away. I sit in the corner picking at my food wondering if you would notice if I stood to leave. I watch as your eyes find pleasure…
Tell me your secrets No need to lie I will eat them up And make them mine Crawl into my arms And make a home I’ll hold you tight And keep you warm Give me your tears I’ll collect them in a jar Shaped like my heart So you can face each end With a…
Please welcome today’s #BeReal guest, Fat Bottom Girl. The load of shame I carry on a daily basis weighs me down. I wish I could tell you when I picked up this particular baggage, but I cannot. I’ve carried it so long, that it’s become a part of me; melded into my marrow. My shame…
HASTYWORDS 