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Mon, Oct 27, 2025

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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 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.

May 16, 2019 at 5:05pm

#959106

Halfway through May

Artist: Bright Eyes
Song: Waste of Paint
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" :
Congratulations on making it halfway through the challenge! Today, we’ll do something a little different. Instead of writing an entry of your own, take the time to show some love to your fellow 30DBC challengers! Write thoughtful comments on at least five different blogs from this month’s competition. Then, post the links to the entries you commented on in your own blog and share one thing you learned. Have fun!

My mood has been pretty off today. Even for me.

I'm feeling totally listless. I've gotten nothing done. It's just one of those days where I, like, stare at a wall forever.

But this prompt made me smile.

Thanks, Em.

This gave me the chance to catch up on some entries I've missed during the month. I thought I'd have a lot more time to read things than I've actually had, but I'm still trying to read/comment on at least 3-5 entries a day. If I haven't hit yours much, it's probably just because you post your entries at a time when I'm not reading them.

Let me just add in...

Liking/Commenting on people's entries is so important. This isn't a social media "look how much interaction I can get!" kind of thing. It's about building a sense of community. I say this in the most respectful way possible, but... there's no point in responding to the daily prompt as though you're being interviewed by a pesky news reporter and then going on your way to something else. Or maybe I should say there's no point in me doing that. I would get nothing out of blogging if I did that. That's why when I see myself stretched too thin, I'll hop out of a blogging challenge completely because if I don't have time to interact with anyone else, what's the point?

To be honest, I've commented on a lot of entries this month so it might be difficult to find new entries to comment on for this prompt. But, I've been busy and pretty worthless the past week so I'm sure I can find some.

Anyway, five bloggers and their entries...

Well, I've really enjoyed Kåre เลียม Enga

's blog this month. We don't really know each other, but her entries are always very poetically written and poignant. Here's one of her entries so you can see for yourself: "2019年5月15日: Blow-me-away blog"

I always love reading Waltz in the Lonesome October

's blog. I learned a lot in his entry for the "mindblowing" prompt: "It's About Time"

. I think I've commented on all of his entries so far this month so I can't do a new one there, but definitely one of my favorite blogs to read. It's always interesting, funny, amusing, etc...

LazyWriter

and I have just met through "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"

this month too, and I'll always enjoy meeting a new person through blogging. Her entry, "Invalid Entry"

discussed her experience with discovering more about her religion. I think spiritual paths are so personal and every person who's spiritual can benefit from learning more about their beliefs.

IceSkatingSugarCube

had a really good entry for the "Four Burners' prompt: "Four Burners Theory"

. I thought she had a really good analysis and sense of self-reflection in her writing, which is typical for her.

Plus, the "stove is off" line at the end got me.

QPdoll

is another blogger I adore. When we had the "Goldilocks" motivation prompt, I was totally thinking of her because she has mentioned before how her job doesn't give her enough work for it to be challenging or motivating. Of course, she nailed the prompt when talking about it!

I enjoy MD Maurice

's entries so much. Her "mindblown" entry about her daughter's piano recital, "My Reluctant Little Star"

was sooo sweet.

If you haven't read it, seriously check it out. MD Maurice just seems to get me. I don't know how to describe it, but I sense a kindred spirit in her somehow. Like, I could trust her for no reason.

So yeah, there's just a handful of the bloggers I've been super enjoying this month. There are more though, but I'm over 5 people now and don't want to take anymore time to list them all. What I learn the most when reading other bloggers is that we're all different. We all have different things going on, different perspectives, different life experiences. I really feed off of being able to get a fresh viewpoint on any topic and that's why I love blogging so much.

It's clear to see it's not them but me
Who's lost my self-identity

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