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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

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#2030442 by Not Available.

and

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I blog for things like

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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.

April 1, 2020 at 12:08am

#979862

Wait, that’s not funny

Artist: Counting Crows
Song: Colorblind
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
#SaferAtHome "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: April 1 is supposed to be April Fool's Day. Since we're all #SaferAtHome, it's a bit harder to prank people. What are some things you can do remotely to somebody for a good laugh?

Hopefully someone can come up with something funny today.

I just, yeah... no words.

My mental health isn't holding up well. I've had a series of what I'd call mini episodes in the past week, which probably explains why my mental health group here is now closed.

I've been trying super hard to stay positive, despite everything that's going on. As soon as I recognized that I was having issues I tried to contact my doctor's office, but they're pretty much closed at this point and haven't actually gotten back in touch with me.

There's a lot going on. I know general care like that isn't a priority right now.

What I'm experiencing isn't unique in any way. Everyone is going through a lot right now... a lot of anxiety and stress. I haven't been able to get any work done the past couple days because my OCD has been so bad. I go in and out of nightmares all night. If I'm not fighting intrusive thoughts, I'm doing compulsions to ease them. It's time-consuming and relentlessly exhausting.

I don't see an end in sight for this. Even after things start to go back to 'normal' they're not going to be normal. I can't imagine ever eating at a restaurant or going to a crowded place again. Those things were difficult for me before this. Now that there's a literal global pandemic... yeah, I dunno.

Anyway, have I made you laugh yet?

Sorry, it's hard to think of funny things. I mean, there's no shortage of memes and parody songs floating around. But I'm honestly burnt out on it. I can't even really go on the internet anymore. I haven't watched the news in days. I try not to read or see anything because I can feel my mind slipping away. I had to tell my family to stop messaging me with updates. I don't need to know the death toll every day.

And, in all fairness, I never liked April Fool's Day, even pre-pandemic. I always think of it as that holiday where you can't trust what's going on.

I spent the past several years in school where we'd get repeated April Fool's Pranks about pop quizzes, huge assignments, or whatever else the professor could pull out. "Oh, you guys didn't know there was an exam today?"

Even worse when you have no idea what the date is so it's totally unexpected. Thanks for the prompt though! Now I'll know to look out for this with my coworkers. If anyone says anything remotely shocking, I'll accuse them of pranking me. Speaking of, I actually thought today was Thursday somehow. My coworker said we'll spend the next two days working on something and I was like, ugh, that sucks that we have to work Saturday.

He said I'm going to come out of my apartment someday like a caveman blocking the sun with my hand.

But mostly I've just been distracting myself as much as humanly possible. I've never watched so many movies or played so many video games before. I have movies on all day when I'm working. Then I go straight from that to playing a video game or reading a book or watching more movies. I try not to give myself a single minute of freedom or time to think.

Kira came out into the living room yesterday and she was like, "Um... are you watching a movie, listening to music, working, and playing Animal Crossing right now?"

Yes, yes I am.

I know, I still haven't answered the prompt. My thoughts? It might not be the best time to trick people right now. I mean, I can't think of anything you could call and say to someone and then be like "HA, just kidding" that would be appropriate right now.

That being said, if you're using Microsoft Teams right now while working remotely like a lot of us are, you can use filters and turn yourself into a potato

during your April Fool's meeting.

I am colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside

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