This is such a sweet story! I can relate to getting the house ready for Christmas. The J names were cute but a bit confusing. Why didnt mom have the older kids helping her? She would've been a lot less stressed and then they would've earned their video game. I loved how she found the 5 gold rings at the end!
Write on....
Some of the greatest minds of all time were bipolar, including Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, and Ludwig Von Beethoven!
My grandfather was bipolar.. When I first started having mental issues, I thought that's what it was. I was 19 at the time, but didn't finally seek help until I was 21. Symptoms came and went, as with bipolar disorder. I thought everything was under control. It was, until it wasn't. I was finally diagnosed w severe OCD and generalized anxiety. Later, following an incredible traumatic student teaching placement, post traumatic stress disorder was added to that list.
After my grandpa died, I read alot about bipolar disorder. He wasn't diagnosed until he was nearly 70, which is unusual. But in his era, men did not seek help or even acknowledge mental problems. That was a sign of weakness. All of his symptoms were chalked up to being "quirky" or "that's just John/dad/grandpa"
Thanks for sharing this essay and links! Really sheds some insight into bipolar disorder
That sums up mental illness pretty well-my mom saw cuts on my knees once and was scared I was cutting myself. I wasn't, they were caused by a bad mattress!
I absolute detest the word "normal". I had a roommate in college who said she was normal and I wasn't. Nothing I did, said or wore was "normal". But it was to me!
Bah to normalcy!
Elena
I like your line about gloating about being published You're a great poet-have you ever considered writing a book using poems to describe characters or a verse story? i'm not a good at writing poetry but like reading it-write on
Very good first chapter-makes the reader want to see what is going to happen next. A writer friend of mine always suggests incorprating the senses-were there any smells going around Zoey when she found out or was telling Ben? Smell is the sense most linked to memory-a smell could trigger a memory later on. Just a suggestion-I can't wait to read the next chapter!
Elena
I'm 29 and have suffered from severe OCD and anxiety for many years...This poem describes it brilliantly! It seems like those illness never let you go, you just learn to live with them. I can especially relate to the last stanza.
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You're a great poet-have you ever considered writing a book using poems to describe characters or a verse story? i'm not a good at writing poetry but like reading it-write on