Wait! Can you hear it? The collective pounding of hearts beating above tiny little ribcages? I can feel mine in my toes and in my belly. I feel as though mashed potatoes are lodged in my throat and suddenly can’t seem to swallow. I hear muffled movement. My scrunchy holding the end of a looseContinue reading “How I Survived My Elementary School Shooting”
Tag Archives: Cleveland blogger
Unjudge Yourself
There I was, sitting in a small room on the top floor of an old brick structure in the valley of quintessential Keene – a small town sharing lakes that usher travelers from Vermont into the state of New Hampshire. Connected to an old mill along the Ashuelot River, this section was originally built inContinue reading “Unjudge Yourself”
LIELACS
Lately, on Tuesdays, I start the morning with an early drive along the Chagrin River, winding through county lines before arriving at a small café hidden from typical Chagrin Falls traffic. Before grabbing an espresso beverage, my sister and I chat on the phone interim her two jobs in North Carolina. I then settle intoContinue reading “LIELACS”
Stable(s)
I had been startled awake one morning by the masculine echoes of my friend chanting from the upstairs where he sits in a pillow nest as tones lift from folded rugs toward the ceiling. He was engaged in his morning ritual of Kundalini. Kundalini is a meditative practice in which verbal tones externalize as energyContinue reading “Stable(s)”
‘Tis the Season to be Poly
I’ve been lately collecting arguments; conflicting opinions on why, what, and how to engage in relationships in which socially constructed concepts for intimacy and sex go unmatched (“Non-monogamy” “Polyamory” “Open”). Polyamory happens to be a topic I’ve come against especially after entering the world of couples therapy. Friends have tried it, friends have wanted toContinue reading “‘Tis the Season to be Poly”
Making Love to a Pinecone
A few years ago I stumbled upon the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, an ecotherapy otherwise known as “forest bathing.” While reading about this technique, I became flooded with images of monks bathing in a pool of fresh spring water, showering in the rain, and splashing their faces with dew cupped in hands pulling away fromContinue reading “Making Love to a Pinecone”
Tour de New England
I can be socially timid, especially in large groups. By timid, I mean that I hate being vulnerable. When interacting with strangers, my confidence goes weak in the knees. More than anything, I find it difficult to trust. My default has always been toward siblings and friends who are more dominant in conversations. It seemsContinue reading “Tour de New England”
When Parts of Me Meet at a Party
Internal Family Systems Parts Theory looks at different parts of ourselves that have been nurtured by our attachment bonds and life experiences. Based upon what is happening with us at any given moment, a specific part might show up to respond to help us make sense of, and cope. I don’t know a lot aboutContinue reading “When Parts of Me Meet at a Party”
Scattered
Unzip the lock. A few pounds worth of flour-like grey weighing down my left palm while digging in with a plastic hummus container. This morning is magic. Dampened stonewalls and trees dressed by a perfect love affair between algae and fungus. Engorged moss like a breastfeeding mother away from her infant too long. Fern bedsContinue reading “Scattered”
I’ll Take it Neat, Please. Off the Cliffs with a Side of Socialization.
Driving on route 44 northbound. It’s been several months since I’ve taken this road. A faded greying dirt-caked dump truck clunking forward two cars in front of mine. Deep inhales necessary for this sing-along breathes me back to the scotch I had drank several times in the past few weeks. My senses transport me toContinue reading “I’ll Take it Neat, Please. Off the Cliffs with a Side of Socialization.”
The Word Mill 