Search where?

This Portfolio (charlieabney)

All of Writing.Com

◄ November ► 2019
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Archive				RSS

Create New Item

Read & Review

Community

Browse By Type

Browse By Genre

Writing Resources

Sun, Oct 26, 2025

6:49pm EDT

Members: 794

Guests: 6,885

Total Online: 7,679

Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#2030442 by Not Available.

and

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#1974611 by Not Available.

I blog for things like

Invalid Item

This item number is not valid.
#2146101 by Not Available.

FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by FivetricksterTreats

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

👀intu the Darkness

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Waltz in the Lonesome October

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pumpkin

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

November 1, 2019 at 12:15am

#968735

HELLLLOween

Artist: Halsey
Song: Haunting
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" : If you celebrate Halloween in your part of the world, what are your family’s traditions? What were the popular Halloween costumes in your childhood? Which candy was the most coveted?

*cracks knuckles*

Let's see... I haven't written a blog entry (or anything else) since mid-September. Don't know if I even remember how to do this.

I guess an update is a good start?

I'm graduating university in 7 weeks so I'm flailing through my final semester with the worst case of senioritis fathomable. I'm also working, applying for jobs, doing interviews, etc. It's hard to split my mind between still studying for exams and moving on to start my career. My brain doesn't want to comprehend both at the same time.

Maybe I'm just bad at transitions.

Anyway, I don't know how much I'll actually be able to write this month, especially with midterms coming up, but I'm happy to be back among my blogging buddies after a bit of a hiatus.

So, I love Halloween.

Family Traditions
I love autumn in general. Or I did as a kid anyway. October was always my favorite month. Less so now that I'm older and get seasonal migraines and allergies and stuff like that.

I think my family had the pretty average US traditions. My ma loved decorating for every season so there'd be a seasonal tablecloth, Halloween decorations, candles, etc. around the house for fall. We would carve pumpkins and go trick-or-treating. There would be a Halloween bowl of candy on the kitchen counter for pretty much all of October and November. Once my brothers got older (and they're quite a bit older than me so that happened quickly), we obviously stopped a lot of the family traditions minus the decorations.

Halloween Costumes
I'm pretty sure the costumes that were most popular when I was a kid are the same ones that were most popular when my parents were kids and now with the current generation of kids. There are just a lot of timeless Halloween costumes:
- Witches, ghosts, and vampires
- Animals (cats, dogs, bunnies, etc.)
- Princesses, Disney characters, fairies, mermaids
- Monsters, devils, skeletons, ninjas
- Clowns, killers, movie/game characters
- Superheroes, pirates, cowboys
- Professions (doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters)

I specifically remember Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostface from the Scream movies, and Barney being pretty popular.

Coveted Candy
Anything that was full-size rather than miniature was automatic king.

I don't remember specific candy that was coveted as much as I remember ones that were nearly universally hated. My brothers and I would trade candy at the end of the night and I'd trade handfuls of shit I didn't like in exchange for one thing I did like.

I know Skittles, Starburst, Nerds, M&Ms, Snickers, Reese's were all pretty good.

But then there were Almond Joys, Whoppers, Good & Plenty, licorice, those little Bit o' Honey things...

Grossest things ever. I'd rather starve.

Luckily, I liked some of the most hated candies like Smarties, Tootsie Rolls, candy corn, and Necco wafers.

In case anyone didn't go trick-or-treating or do tradesies with siblings, this shit was serious currency. The exchange rate was not equal. No purchasing power parity here.

The exchange rate between Good & Plenty and Snickers wasn't even close. Like, if someone would let you unload Good & Plenty on them in exchange for a Snickers, the exchange rate was like 6 Good & Plenty + 2 licorice + 1 Almond Joy for 1 Snickers.

But because I liked some of the least liked candy, I'd end up with a whole ton of Smarties, Tootsie Rolls (especially the flavored ones), and Necco wafers. Because I'd be like, well, if you want my Starburst, you have to give me ALL of your 'shitty' candy that I like.

Maybe I was always destined for finance.

However, we can ALLLLL agree that the absolute fucking worst 'candy' ever is an apple, popcorn, homemade snacks, or a toothbrush. Like, come on now. I'd get so irritated when someone dropped a brownie in a Ziploc bag into my pillowcase.

My mother is going to sift through my candy when I dump it out and start screaming at me not to touch the brownie as though it's a pipe bomb or something.

I don't know anyone whose parents allowed them to eat homemade baked goods. Anything that was NOT manufactured wrapped candy was immediately taken out of our stash and thrown directly in the trash.

What now?
So, for the past 3 years I've managed to have classes during the evening on Halloween. It's the absolute worst having to sit in a lecture at 8 o'clock at night on Halloween. So I usually just end up going to class, coming home and watching a couple horror movies, and then falling asleep because my brain is fried. And then if there are any Halloween parties over the weekend, I might swing by and hang out for a little bit.

Because of that whole "senioritis" thing, I decided to just say fuck it and skip this year. I had other things to tend to anyway.

This year, Kira decided to host a little party. When I got home tonight, everyone was watching Halloween, as is tradition, and having some drinks. So I got to just hang out and drink a little bit and catch up with some of our mutual friends who I've not seen in a while. As I write this, they're watching some Halloween movie called Trick 'R Treat, which I'm totally lost on, and I'm "doing homework."

Can't you tell?

I've done some things that I can't speak
And I tried to wash you away, but you just won't leave

Comment • View 14 comments

Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2181458-Are-You-Listening/day/11-1-2019