humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Clutter
“Ow,” she says as she began to sit up straight. She looks around at all the soggy, wadded up tissues decorating her night stand and parts of the carpet below. Her head is spinning from the night before. At first glance you’d think she has Covid. That’s not the case here though. This was a rare, yet familiar case for this middle aged, black woman from South Georgia. Let’s start from the beginning.
By Mrs. Freeman4 years ago in Humans
An Ode to Ramen
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind, and find my soul” An often-quoted quote (if you will) by the likes of someone much wiser than I; but who’s name escapes me equally as often. A quote through which much of my sentiments are shared and growing more so poignant by the day. Not to grasp even further onto cliché life-preservers, but nonetheless, transition can be a bittersweet medicine when it rears its ugly head. You know it will help you, even cure you, but you also hope the doctor knows what the fuck they’re doing. You hope that all the right questions were asked, the right boxes were checked, and that something important wasn’t missed somewhere along the lines.
By Christy Ann Clark4 years ago in Humans
To Lower Crime Means To Revisit Recidivism
We would all agree that crime is a horrible act to commit. It goes against everything that we know to do, think, or even say. Even the most violent offenders tell their children to not follow in their footsteps. Crime is the unthinkable. But so many people continue to engage in it day in and day out. There is a group out there that is dedicated to robbing cars. Another group doing home invasions, stealing identities, committing harmful acts against children, adults, and even animals. It’s a sick world. But why should we make it sicker than it already is. Why feed the beast, when if we just took a step back we could figure this out.
By Dre Flowers4 years ago in Humans
Even in Death
If I stood on the tips of my toes, I was just tall enough to peek through the windows of the double doors that led from the back kennel to the examination room. I could see my father in his green scrubs, firmly holding down a squirming ball of fluffy curls. I heard the dog’s whines from behind the door, but didn’t understand; shouldn’t a veterinarian be making it feel better? My father’s face was set with determination as he plunged a syringe deep into the fur. His firm hold on the dog’s chest gentled as its kicking legs slowly stilled. My father’s hands, so big and powerful, waited until there was absolute silence in the room.
By Amy Kriewaldt4 years ago in Humans
When I heard him laugh
I don’t remember hearing my father laugh. Not in my childhood. Not in my teenage years. Not even in my twenties. I’d seen him in many states. Emotionally mushy. Singing and dancing. But not laughing. Not the kind of laughter that comes with true mirth and uncontrollable enjoyment of a moment.
By Rajkumarie Devi4 years ago in Humans
The mountain of knowledge
In my opinion, one goal in life is to reach the apex of the mountain of knowledge. But we all seem to be in a rush to attain this, and all following the same path that has been laid down for centuries. But we must also remember that life is more about the journey than it is the destination. You may be saying to yourself "but there are many paths that go up this mountain." And you are right in thinking so, but generally once one has chosen a path that is the one they stick to.
By White Wolf 4 years ago in Humans
Dear Highland Park
Dear Highland Park, I need to begin this letter by saying I know thoughts and prayers are so old by now. That's not what we need. We need change. We need to stop having all these shootings. But I do need to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that someone thought it was okay to ruin your holiday parade. I'm sorry that someone thought it was okay to kill all the people they did. I'm sorry that you had to experience that trauma. I'm sorry that you will now have to live with it for the rest of your life. It's not okay. You shouldn't have to be sad everytime the 4th of July rolls around. You should be able to go out and enjoy yourselves without feeling sorrowful of those you lost. What happened shouldn't have happened. We need to do something. My heart is absolutley shattered for you. I know that's not exactly waht you need to hear right now but that's all I can say. I wish I could say I knew how to change things but sadly I don't. I wish I could have done something to prevent this from happening but I couldn't have. I wasn't there. I live in South Carolina. I'm sorry that nobody stopped this from happening. I'm sorry that you now have to grapple with this shock and pain. I'm sorry that you now have to try and process what happened. I honestly don't know what else to say. I wish someone would change something and make this not happen again. I wish someone would understand that this isn't okay and shouldn't be normal. This should not be the year of Mass shootings but sadly that's what it's becoming. We shouldn't be not surprised everytime this happens. People who can make change happen should be listening to us. Someone should do something. I'm so beyond sorry for you. I honestly don't know what else to say. Thoughts and prayers seems a bit unreasonable at this point. It seems a bit pointless.Nobody should have to grapple with this pain and misunderstanding. Nobody should have to say goodbye to family members or friends. I can only say that perhaps we will see each other on the other side. Perhaps we will all be reunited in peace someday. Perhaps someday someone will listen and make changes. Perhaps we will all find peace. I don't know what else to say. This shouldn't be your memory of any day. This shouldn't be something that is included in our history. This will forever tramatize people. This will forever make people sad everytime the holidays roll around. Sometimes we have to deal with sad things but this should not be one of them.We should not be acting like this is normal. Because it's far from normal. It's heinous. This isn't something we should get used to. This is becoming far to normal and that's far from okay. In fact it needs to not be okay. It never was okay but we need rules and regulations and people to feel safe. We can't walk around feeling unsafe and as if we have no freedom. I'm sorry that someone thought ruining your day was okay and I'm sorry that flowers are piling up in the worst way and that nobody knows what to say. I'm sorry that you have to now have difficult conversations with people and your family. I'm sorry that you have to move forward in this state of emotion that may not go away for a while. I'm sorry that nothings changed and I honestly don't know what else to say.
By Amanda Nicole4 years ago in Humans
Soul Writing for Healing
Part 2: Dark Knight of the Soul My experience with the Dark Knight of the Soul was one of hopelessness, emptiness, and great fear. I did lots of research to understand and give myself comfort. I came to understand that we are mulitdemensional and multifaceted, and I needed to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects that make up the whole of myself. Healing occurs when I give my body the conditions needed to heal itself. The challenge is finding what works for me or anyone of us to create those conditions.
By Lisa Santa Barbara4 years ago in Humans
