“Fractured”

Art by Susan B. @HealingDoodle

She survived.
Mostly integrated and whole.

Despite the best efforts of parents
who denied her feelings
and exhorted her to smile, smile, smile.

Despite the best efforts of all the bullies
who saw in her open heart an open wound
to cut her in her deepest place
because they could.

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No Rose-Colored Glasses

And no pink cloud recovery either

Sometimes, I wish I had a pair of rose-colored glasses.
But sadly, the price for wearing them is not worth the cost
to my sobriety, abstinence, solvency, and health.
My recovery path has been all about facing reality,
walking through pain,
and getting to the other side.
It was never about getting there unscathed.

[Artwork by Susan B. @HealingDoodle]

From Sidney to Cindy

Finding love again after the death of a pet

Sidney a month before we lost him

Deep, heaving breaths came from the cancer-riddled lungs of our beloved cocker spaniel. Sidney had been part of our family since he was 11 weeks old. And now, 13 years later, he was helplessly gasping for air.

Jay and I knew it was time to make the hardest decision facing a pet parent.

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Just Move the Trash Can

I recently returned from an amazing trip seeing friends and family. On the last leg of our journey, we stayed with a dear friend of mine who shared a unique perspective on problem-solving that was both funny and amazingly relevant to my own life. So I’d like to pass it on to you.

We were talking about handling challenging situations. Now, my friend is a dog, cat, horse, fox, goose, snake, you name it, whisperer. She can train any living creature.

She told me a story about a man whose dog kept eating out of the trash can. He was utterly miserable and at his wit’s end on what to do about it.

So how should he handle it, she asked me? I started coming up with possible strategies (from many years of watching Cesar Millan on TV).
Continue reading “Just Move the Trash Can”