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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.

July 2, 2019 at 12:11am

#961903

Unsolved & Solved Mysteries

Artist: a-ha
Song: Take On Me
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" : Write about something mysterious. Is the mystery ongoing, or has it been resolved?

The first day of the month didn't really go as expected. Does it ever?

I spent most of the day working when I was only supposed to have a quick meeting in the morning.

I still managed hit the word count for the first day of Camp NaNo, but I was undoubtedly struggling. It doesn't help that I didn't prep at all so I had, like, 12 false starts.

I have a mystery for you. I find it pretty mysterious how many books I start reading vs. how many books I actually finish. And, like, 90% of the time it's not even because the books aren't good. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I'll specifically not finish a book because I don't want it to be over. I get overly emotionally involved in the characters. Me, overemotional? No way, right?

Some writers are just so good at creating characters that they're like your friends by the end of the book. As I start running out of pages to read, I get legitimately anxious. It sounds silly, but I've actually stopped reading books 75% of the way through and gone back to the beginning to reread from the first page.

It's especially bad with a standalone book. Obviously if it's a series, you don't get that feeling until the last book in the series. But a really good standalone book? How are you supposed to give up the characters after only 250 pages?

This is obviously an ongoing mystery.

I've mentioned this to people before and they usually laugh. People will agree with me about putting off finishing a really good book, but I've yet to meet other people who straight up just don't finish them. I have a ton of books that I've done this with. I'm just not ready for it to be over, so... nope.

I think this says more about my avoidant personality than anything else. Anyone got the psychology on this phenomenon?

For a more traditional solved mystery... I was in Texas about an hour and a half from where this case happened, so I vaguely remember hearing about it. Here's an article

if you don't want to sit through my bad retelling.

But, basically, this guy checked into a hotel in Beaumont, TX in 2010. He was in his 50s and had a really bad diet along with being a lifelong smoker, so when his body was found in his hotel room, it was assumed that he had died of a heart attack. They did an autopsy to confirm the death was from natural causes but it was not a heart attack at all.

The medical examiner "found that the body suffered severe internal damage, with broken ribs, lacerations to the liver and scrotum, and a hole in the heart."

What I remember being really fucking weird about this case was that there was no external damage that would indicate a fight or the man getting beaten or anything. His hotel room wasn't trashed. He didn't have the external markings to indicate all of this internal damage. So it was pretty 'what the fuck' worthy. Like, how does someone get all of this internal damage without having external damage?

But, this case got solved, which is great both for the family and the people who were totally baffled by what could have happened.

It turns out this guy was laying in his hotel bed watching a movie and the guys in the room next to him were playing around with a gun and it went off. The bullet went through the wall, hit the guy in the scrotum, hit a main artery, and he bled to death internally. When the people in the next room realized the bullet had gone through the wall, they covered the hole up with toothpaste and just went down to the bar for a drink.

They realized the following day that this guy in the room next to them had died, but the person who shot the gun claims that he believed the guy dying and the gun accidentally going off were unrelated incidents. The case was eventually solved and he received a trial where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

It was such a freak incident that I still think about it occasionally. It's one of those mysteries that creeps me out even after it's solved.

So needless to say
I'm odds and ends
But I'll be stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is ok

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