Author Student Mother Teacher
The world can feel so dark sometimes that it's impossible to know if there is any good left and we can get so lost in the noise that constant distraction makes. Too preoccupied with things to buy and things to do and people to see and places to go and pictures to take and videos… Continue reading The Cost of Hate and Distraction
I'm almost pretty, but not quite, because when I look in the mirror, my face looks like a stranger. I'm almost intelligent, but not quite, because even though I have numerous degrees, I struggle to put them to use, as I tend to get overwhelmed easily and quit. I'm almost sexy, but not quite, because… Continue reading Almost but not quite
Okay, guys, how about another page of sketches? Consider this my virtual gallery...or more appropriately, my refrigerator door that I'm letting you look at, each piece held up with a bunch of kooky mismatched magnets. Title: Time to Die This theme appears regularly in my creative work. It's a combination of the political instability of… Continue reading A Little Sketch Therapy
I've created a lot of sketches, so I'll break them up into multiple posts. Some of these sketches have serious trauma behind them. Please keep in mind that I use art as therapy, so some content might be triggering. Title: Bleed For Me This was my first attempt at a complex composition. I spent an… Continue reading Sketching Through Trauma: Personal Reflections
“Come back. Even as a shadow, even as a dream.” - Euripides Dear Brian, So, I lied. I can’t wait forever for you. You never choose me, so I’m going to. I can only hope that someday you will come around, but I'm not gonna be waiting forever. Whatever happens is gonna happen, because I… Continue reading A Letter For My Nerdy Viking
Let's talk about what last week cost me Two kitchen hooks that were holding up the aprons I never use, but I wanted them because that's what good moms own and wear. A bunch of bananas, a loaf of bread, two bunches of broccoli, one pound of carrots, one bag of baby carrots, and half… Continue reading The Invisible Costs of Living with Mental Illness
I can't watch the news because I don't honestly understand what's going on in the world around me. I can't scroll Facebook or Instagram or Reddit because I don't honestly understand what's going on in the digital world around me. Airplanes are falling from the skies and crashing but my news feed says air travel… Continue reading Is the world on fire?
*****TRIGGER WARNING - The following is a conversation about grief, loss, the death of an unborn child, etc. It could be traumatic for readers. Proceed with caution. ***** Lots of things are heavy on my mind these days. These things keep me from moving forward. They keep me from making decisions. They keep me from… Continue reading We Need to Talk…About Donovan: A Reflection on Grief
Sometimes I live in a weird place of denial, a place where my granddaughter's autism is "high-functioning" and not a problem at all. I tell myself that it's not a problem that I have had another human, sometimes two or three humans and several pets, physically touching me all day and I will be fine… Continue reading What is Autism? A Caregiver’s Perspective
The television plays Cooking shows on repeat, You didn’t like them But they bring me comfort. The cell phone stands ready Facebook, E-mail, games Anything to distract me, To keep from feeling. The laptop, always open A story to write, homework to do Simulation games that I can control Things where I get to say… Continue reading Drowning Out the Noise
Cathy Marie Bown 