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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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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 Stik to My Own Beat

[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

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 Pon

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

Harlow Flick, Right Fielder

Mar 6, 2023 at 8:56pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

This is such a very human thing, isn't it.

“I think there is nearly an overwhelming sadness to the human predicament.” - Skinny Boy Hill

BOOM! This ain’t no whipped cream pie I’m tossing.

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.

June 5, 2020 at 5:00pm

#985069

Sinners gonna sin

Artist: The Cribs
Song: Be Safe
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

"Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: The Seven Social Sins are:

Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925.― Frederick Lewis Donaldson. Do you think these social sins still apply? Why or Why not?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: These social sins are everywhere we look. Wealth without work? How many wealthy people are old money? Commerce without morality... isn't that called capitalism? Worship without sacrifice? How many allegedly religious people have I met who don't follow any kind of moral compass preached by their religion? Politics without principle? *motions wildly at everything*

Today is a difficult day. Like many others I'm sure, I'm emotionally and mentally drained from everything. I mean, there are the regular stressors obviously, still haven't fully recovered from surgery, sleeping like utter shit, getting ready to move, and dealing with office politics at work. I can deal with all those things. Add onto it mass protests, civil unrest, racism, police brutality, a pandemic...

Gotta hand it to these protestors, they're little energizer bunnies. They're passionate as fuck and they want shit to change. We had, like, 8000 people peacefully marching through my neighborhood yesterday and I don't think it even got reported anywhere-- probably because nothing bad happened.

But more than anything, more than the protests and outliers who are looting, more than the blatant and continuous police brutality, more than our own president threatening to unleash our country's army against its own people... I am most exhausted by random, everyday people. The fact that pointing out that police brutality and racism are bad is somehow divisive just drains my soul.

I know this administration has emboldened the worst in people, but I never thought in my lifetime (or in any lifetime after me), that people would get defensive when you say that racism is bad. I mean, really, think about that. In 2010, if you said, "Hey, racism is bad." Can you imagine someone hearing that and being like, "Okay, first of all, how dare you?!"

You can't make this shit up. Can a Trump supporter explain to me why you're offended when someone points out racism in our country? Are you guys racist or something?

"But what about-isms" have taken over 40% of our population and it's a mess. I'm not trying to soapbox on it again. I just want to point out how fucking exhausting these past few years have been. Seeing your country's flag in the back window of a vehicle and thinking, fuck, this person is probably racist... And being right about it. Having intelligent family members who are suddenly like, "Yeah, Trump shouldn't have done that BUT WHAT ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON'S EMAILS???" Pointing out that police are disproportionately killing minority groups and having people be like, "Well, maybe they shouldn't have been disrespectful to the random police harassment!"

This shit day in and day out for years is exhausting. It has made me so distrusting of others because apparently people were like this all along and were just barely hiding it beneath the surface. You can't even have a conversation with people. They take notes from the president and instantly gaslight you, deflect, deny any culpability, and then claim that they won without you even saying anything. They don't even need you in the room. You don't even need to be part of the conversation. They're the definition of trolls and they've pervaded every aspect of society.

It's really sad to me to see our society the way it is. I know I (and so many other people) have tried to understand and be openminded to those whose opinions differ from our own. I will always defend someone's right to think differently than me and I've always tried to put myself into other people's shoes and actively listen to them when they're explaining their perspective. This is the only way we can grow as a society.

Knowing that this method doesn't currently work is crushing. We'll never unify or understand each other this way. We're always going to be at odds with one another. Maybe some people don't care about that, but I do. It's hard for me to just dismiss an entire group (especially such a high percentage of people) that way. I'm like, there has to be something that I'm missing here, but I just can't find the pieces to put it together.

And they're no help at all because they'll just toss the puzzle on the ground, piss on it, and then, for some weird reason, claim victory.

So, alright, maybe I soapboxed a little. Wasn't intentional. My point is that this is just an incredibly difficult time for everyone, and I'm not immune to that. As someone who already has mental health issues, I have trouble staying positive when we aren't facing all the external issues that we are now. Not being able to understand something, no matter how hard I work at bridging the gap, is frustrating.

My brain feels like it's working through molasses with all of this.

Let's take life and slow it down incredibly slow
Frame by frame

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