Humanity
Hair Tales
Let me tell you the story of curly-haired girls before it was fashionable. I am naturally curly and have never straightened my hair even once. As a child, I have been called many names for having this wild hair - Bhadrakaali, Parachi, Aadivasi et al (These are some caste-based slurs in my mother tongue). All these insults were not from strangers, but from within the family. It is one of the reasons why I still have to struggle with self-confidence. Everything starts at home.
By chembarathi4 years ago in Confessions
Diagnosed Again
My doctor just came out and said it: "I'm sorry to hear you got cancer again." The past few months, my doctor keeps saying he wants to talk about my prognosis. It's the same thing he's said every time I see him for the past few months. My oncologist even said it, and I know he's looking for an apology. I don't want to talk about it. I want to write about it.
By William Bamberg4 years ago in Confessions
The Me You Can't See.
I'm extremely emotional today. For several reasons, if I'm honest with myself. And I would like to be honest with myself. I'm not sure how long this will be, but the length doesn't matter to me. My honesty with myself is my only goal right now. I think I've done a very good job of lying to myself about why I'm upset about things in my life. Mostly for fear of seeming weak, or broken, or unsure of myself. So basically human. But the more I teach about self-awareness and emotional intelligence, I'm truly realizing I can't be preaching this stuff in workshops and not being honest with myself when I'm upset about things that deeply hurt me or affect me. Call it a side-affect of childhood trauma, but as a kid, I was never allowed to feel or express my emotions. I had to suppress my deepest fears, anger, anxieties, sadness's, etc. So now as an adult, I still sometimes struggle with acknowledge things that bother me. But after years of therapy tied in with the work I'm currently doing, those faucets are open widely and will not be closed any time soon. So, here goes…
By Whitney Smart4 years ago in Confessions
The Kaleidoscope that was You
The last time I saw him he was in bright yellow socks, gray vans, and a tie-dyed shirt. Now that I think about it, it was the perfect outfit to describe the resplendence that was us. The white representing the pureness of what I felt for him. The pink and red were the cruel things we did to one another. The green showed the small little lines of hope that faded in and out just like we did. And finally, there was a blue undertone that showed the damning fate that we both knew had to happen. The blue was my favorite, maybe because it made his “stop me in my tracks” eyes pop or maybe because it was the only honest color of what we were. Orange was his favorite color, bright neon orange. He probably doesn’t even think twice when he sees mine, something he had memorized at one point.
By Kenlea Barnes4 years ago in Confessions
The 5 words I use to enforce my own boundaries.
How changing my inner voice vocabulary has changed my reactions to real-life situations. I do this thing now that helps me out tremendously when I am caught in a moment of possibly crossing my own boundaries to please someone else or walk right into a triggered situation.
By Jaded Savior Blog4 years ago in Confessions
Is the Mid-Life Crisis (MLC) a myth or a reality? This, too, must pass...
I turned 42 in August and didn't give it much attention, but as the year went on, I felt like a dissatisfied 12-year-old. What used to work for me in terms of possibilities flying my way has ceased to exist. What the hell is going on, I wondered. So, as is my will, I did some research and discovered that I was having a mid-life crisis (MLC).
By Richard Appiah4 years ago in Confessions
Christmas by an Onlooker
I love Christmas in the UK. I don’t celebrate, but I still love that time of year. There’s just something nice in the atmosphere. Plus, I love the lights. They’re my favourite. In fact, I would put up the Christmas lights at the beginning of November and wouldn’t take them down until the end of February. Come on, we can power those with solar energy now – save it during summer, spend it during winter, right? People need light. So when days are short, why not turn on the lights?
By Meliha Avdic4 years ago in Confessions
Christmas Isn’t Christmas Anymore
Growing up, my Christmases were the perfect Hallmark postcard of what this holiday should look like. I lived in Finland, so cold weather and snow were common. It's all dark nights with Christmas lights and candles, and sitting indoors with thick woolen socks and warm drinks in our hands to ward off the subzero temperatures outside.
By Taru Anniina Liikanen4 years ago in Confessions
