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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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#1974611 by Not Available.

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 5, 2019 at 1:51am

#958249

Me vs Everyone I Know

Artist: Supergrass
Song: Alright
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" :
Happy Sunday! Take the time in your blog today to reflect on your week. Share one thing you accomplished this week and one thing you hope to accomplish next week.

Well, I wrote about the first few days of my week here: "Invalid Entry"

Overall, a super typical finals week for me. As far as how well the week went, well, I guess it depends who you ask. Apparently, I feel like I did better this week than some of the people around me feel like I did this week.

Let’s just break this down though. Since last Sunday I...

1. Took and passed all of my final exams. I had a ton of super difficult accounting and finance classes this semester, since I’m a senior and that’s my major...

The coursework is exceedingly dense and tedious. I personally think a lot of people would struggle to successfully complete the classes. I struggle, all my friends do too and we’re majoring in this shit. So, like, I think the average person would find it challenging at the very least. Not that it matters, but I finished really well in all of my classes.

2. Paid my rent. I know it’s not much since you’re just expected to do that shit anyway, but when you don’t have a stable income, it’s super fucking difficult to do. I don’t have any support, like familial support or government support. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things, I’m just saying that I don’t have those things. So coming up with money every month is an endeavor, to say the least. I do what I can.

3. Was active on WDC. Even with finals and needing to come up with rent, I launched May’s mental health awareness challenge with "Invalid Item"

and the group has done, like, 60 mental health reviews around the site in the first few days of May. So, that’s super awesome. I’ve also managed to write a blog entry every day, which doesn’t take too long, but it’s still something I have to actively put on my plate and get done. I try to write my entries at night the day before they’re due because if I leave it until the morning, I’ll just get way too busy and end up forgetting about it. I’m also catching up with other bloggers, which is the best part.

All things considered, I think I’ve done a pretty good job this week. There were situations I could’ve handled better. Maybe I just have low expectations for myself.

I have a lot of people who are frustrated with me. One of the problems is just that I intimately know too many people. They’ve all got their opinions on, like, what I should be doing or shouldn’t be doing. Everyone’s an expert, I guess.

Something I’ve been hearing a lot lately, which is strange for me, is that I’m lacking empathy. Only in the past year or so have I been told that I lack empathy. I’ve always seen it as one of my strongest traits. I’m trying to figure out if “lacking empathy” is code for “not telling me what I want to hear” or if I’m legitimately lacking empathy.

On one hand, I’m like, there’s no way they I of all people could lack empathy. On the other hand, I’m completely detached and feel nothing like 90% of the time. So, we’ll file that under maybe.

The thing is that I’m really tired. And not the kind of tired that you can just sleep off either. I kind of jump to that when I get called out on something. I’m like, “I’m so tired.”

But lately, I’m at the point where I don’t even see a reason to defend myself. I know people are sick of me, but I’m sick of myself too. I’m kinda just throwing my hands up along with other people like, “I know, dude, what is my fucking problem??”

And I think that’s where the lack of empathy thing is coming in. Because when someone confronts me about something. And, just as a sidenote here, there are a lot of people to confront me. If anything ever happened to me, the web of people the police would have to map out would be absurd. I’ve got like a love octagon going on over. Skipped straight from a triangle, over a square and a pentagon and a hexagon, straight to an octagon. What I’m saying is, there are a lot of people who are in my business and feel close enough to me to feel comfortable telling me what to do and confronting me if I don’t do that.

The point is, I think the lack of empathy thing is coming from the fact that I’m so tired of dealing with people and I’m so tired of myself that I’m just like “Ha, yeah, you’re right. I suck. Oh well.” And it’s coming across like, “Cool, I don’t give a fuck.”

And maybe I don’t.

I have no way of knowing.

Yikes, are you regretting asking this question yet, Emily?

You guys are the best listeners because you can’t interrupt me.

So, personally, I think I accomplished a lot this week. And I think I did the best I could. Next week, my biggest goal is to relax. I’m coming off of the semester, and even though I have summer classes starting, it should be way less intense. I’m just going to hang out here and do some reviews. Maybe catch up on some TV shows and movies I’ve been meaning to watch. Definitely finish the book I started in January.

And overall just try not to stress out too much.

Best-laid plans, right?

But we are young, we get by
Can't go mad, ain't got time
Sleep around if we like
But we're alright

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