I've often wondered how to define myself. I'm a social worker who is mentally ill. I have been both client and therapist. In many ways, the role of therapist is one I fall into with more ease. I'm not vulnerable when helping someone else. However, when I'm the client, I feel torn wide open, nothing hidden, my every thought, feeling and action ( Read more... )

Yes. Yes. I know you want to hear about monkeys, but I'm far superior to any monkey you're likely to encounter. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to explain the concept of feline fun.

Hmmmm. I suppose I should introduce myself first. After all, it will benefit you to know who I am. I'm called Winter Solstice Cat, the only cat with initials. I have ( Read more... )

"Love is never wrong."

Melissa Etheridge: Silent Legacy

Same-sex marriage is one of those issues most people are tired of hearing about. You see it on TV. You read about it in the papers, or in your favorite online magazine. References to it pop up all over social media. I know how you feel. There are plenty of things I feel have been discussed to ( Read more... )

Sometimes, even when you're supposed to be helping people, you end up feeling helpless. Not an ideal arrangement, to be sure, but I guess that's just how it goes when you're dealing with people, especially people in crisis. You simply cannot help everyone, and you have to get used to that.

For several years, I volunteered at our local Rape Crisis ( Read more... )

I'm sitting alone on a train. You approach, but you have no interest in me. Instead, you're intrigued by my disability, and you lack the necessary filters to keep your interest in check. So, we chat. Well, it's not really a chat. It's more like an interrogation, or, at the very least, an extremely intense game of twenty questions. It never occurs ( Read more... )

It was another crazy day on the streets of New York City. I needed to get to a certain theater where I was scheduled to perform. All around me, masses of people moved in what seemed like every possible direction. Horns honked and street vendors shouted to be heard above the noise of traffic and pedestrians. I was terrified.

You might wonder why I ( Read more... )

Last night, I dreamed. I dreamed of a life in which food was not my enemy. I could eat without fear, enjoy the things my friends and family raved about. My weight was not an obsession. The idea of weighing 100 pounds did not frighten me. One crack had been healed.

Last night I dreamed. I dreamed of freedom. The outdoors did not scare me. Malls, ( Read more... )

I stood in the middle of the sidewalk and prayed I would not burst into tears. Sidewalks are for walking, but that was not what my guide dog and I were doing. Instead, we'd take a few very hesitant steps. He would stop, look back, and refuse to move forward. I coaxed him. i corrected him. I broke the golden rule of guide dog use and actually ( Read more... )

There are places my mind refuses to revisit, places my heart yearns to forget. I've worked hard to build walls around them, sealing every crack, every chink in what should be impenetrable. Sometimes, despite my efforts, I find myself thinking of you. I find myself asking questions that will never be answered. Maybe it's just part of being human, ( Read more... )

The door slams, and she shrinks into an even tighter ball on the floor of her walk-in-closet. It's only a matter of time before he finds her, but, for now, she can allow the illusion of safety to surround her.

"Bethany!" he bellows. "Where the hell are you? I told you to be here when I got home. You'd better get your ass down here now. You won't ( Read more... )