Search where?

This Portfolio (charlieabney)

All of Writing.Com

◄ March ► 2020
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	31
Archive				RSS

Create New Item

Read & Review

Community

Browse By Type

Browse By Genre

Writing Resources

Tue, Nov 18, 2025

11:00pm EST

Members: 750

Guests: 7,182

Total Online: 7,932

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 Fivesixer

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Turkey DrumStik

[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:

🦃 intuey Grateful & Blessed

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

Robert Waltz

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.

Turkey DrumStik

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.

March 19, 2020 at 8:34am

#978509

Okay, let’s talk about it...

Artist: The Germs
Song: Media Blitz
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: COVID-19. It’s affecting all of us in one way or another. Never in our lifetimes have we seen something of this magnitude and severity. So today, check in with yourself and your fellow competitors - how are you? Where is your head at? What’s worrying you? Let’s gather our WDC community around us and hunker down together.

Okay, let's talk about it.

In terms of myself (because who is more important?

), I'm doing what I can to protect the community. I'm not going out unless I need to. I'm not congregating in large groups and I've pretty much socially distanced myself from everyone I don't live with. I've been working from home since last week. I'm only going to the grocery store once a week, and I'm not hoarding anything, I'm just doing a normal weekly grocery shopping. I'm washing my hands frequently, which is something I always do.

Mentally, I don't think the quarantine is great for me personally. But I have a responsibility to not run around living a la-di-da life while potentially directly spreading a virus that is actively killing people or putting them in the hospital. It's a small sacrifice.

That being said, I'm thinking about reopening some stuff with "Invalid Item"

at some point here because I'm probably not the only person struggling.

Here's the thing I've realized. There are two types of people you encounter during a global pandemic and I quite frankly can't stand either one of them right now.

Person 1: "Yo, it's no big deal."
I don't know how many times I've heard or seen (even here on WDC) people saying things like, "This isn't a big deal. This is just a normal flu." Yo, it's like a normal seasonal flu so we don't gotta worry about it. You know, the flu kills X amount of people in a normal year but no one's talking about that!

You're just wrong.

I don't know any other way to put that. You need to educate yourself before you speak because speaking on an issue like this without educating yourself is dangerous. My great aunt for example told my 78 year old grandfather that there's no reason he shouldn't go to the casino where they live because this is just a standard flu and it's not a big deal at all.

It is dangerous, especially to those who are elderly and have underlying conditions. He has severe heart conditions and is 78... Why in the world someone would tell him that it's not a big deal for him to go be around hundreds and hundreds of people is beyond me.

In addition, a lot of younger people have told me, "Hey, it's not bad for us. The mortality rate is pretty much like 0% so I'm not gonna change my lifestyle for that."

Cool, so you're going to go spread it around, kill people, and further cripple our economy? Congrats, you're a bad person.

Person 2: "Life is over and we're in hell."
And then there is the other side of the coin... People consuming so much coronavirus media that they’re genuinely losing their minds. My own mother is sending me like 50-75 texts a day about the virus. We never talk that much.

I know someone who has like 90 rolls of toilet paper. Please tell me why you would ever need to hoard that much TP?? On the other hand, a fellow shopper started harassing my mother for buying 4 gallons of milk at the store. First of all, mind your own fucking business. Second of all, she’s also shopping for her elderly father. The absolute panic over groceries is insane and unnecessary.

The media fearmongering and lack of reporting on all of the recovered and mild cases is to be expected, but that doesn’t mean that individuals should spend every day panicking to every person who will listen. There’s such a spread of misinformation with the goal of whipping people up into a frenzy.

The point is, we need to take care of each other and that means we need to pay attention and take the pandemic seriously without having a total meltdown about it. Use common sense. Don’t spread misinformation. Don’t tell people to not worry about it because it’s nO BiG dEaL and also don’t act like it’s the literal end of earth. Neither are helpful for anyone.

I think we all need to step back a bit. Stay informed. Do the socially responsible thing to reduce the spread. But you don’t need to consume information about it 24/7. Go read a book, write, watch a movie, learn a language, pick up a new hobby.

But don’t completely ignore it because then we’re all going to end up under government-mandated lockdown for a long time and I’m gonna lose my mind.

Thanks.

Take an injection from the mad machine

Comment • View 18 comments

Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2181458-Are-You-Listening/day/3-19-2020