An Apologetic Courage and a Piece of the Madness

        Another personal story post for you, related to my ongoing journey with the health-related mess.  I'm aware that some people want only to be engaged with the PB Project's more neutral features, without personal details, and that is perfectly okay with me!  Hence the warning.  If you want to continue, you're very much my guest.

When the Light Goes Out

        It's January.  Time to think about something new.  This is not a "new year resolution" but simply something I realized as I was going about, and thought I'd share with you.

Facets of Smiles and Tears

Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened.

~ disputably attributed to Dr Seuss 

Which is why it's perfect for this post.

From the Pages of My Mind

        On the PB Community Facebook Page, we often discuss ways and means of finding the ability to get through and move forward after our more challenging situations we've had to face; since the most basic premise of the PB Project has been to allow people to feel they are not alone in their struggles, I have always felt it to only be fair that I share whatever I feel would help in that effort.  This week, I thought I'd share a little of my inner thought processes; this time, part of it comes not from posts I've shared elsewhere, but actually from working through things in my journal.  Perhaps it can help demonstrate some of what I've meant when discussing that topic.

A Relatively Short Moment of Truth

        I posted this earlier this week in a more personal spot on social media, and was encouraged to share it, here.  Inasmuch as this is actually something that really does resonate with me - lately, in particular - I figure I might as well, since that's why we're here.  So, here:

Positive Spins and Nudgings of Change

        A couple of weeks ago I pinned an archived post to the top of the PB Facebook Community Page, again, and the experience I had while searching for it had me thinking of something which I ended up sharing along with the actual, shared link.  After typing out that whole thing, I realized it would just as well work for a blog post, but I was too tired to try to make that work right then, so I decided to just copy it, paste it into a new post on the blog, wiggle around with it, and ta da!  New post! Then last week happened, and I pushed it off again, and this week I'm just gonna do it!  With slight apologies to those who might remember much of it.  Here's how it went:

A Letter to a Grieving Friend

        I had another post ready for this week, but then my feeds became inundated with grieving friends and notifications of great amounts of loss in the world, and so things changed regarding my plans for this week, and you get this, instead.

Endure to Enlighten the Shadows We Traverse...Someday

       I know, I've been a little dry on the posts, lately.  My apologies, but life happens, and sometimes we just don't have it in us to maintain the steady rhythm, you know?  Since the PB Project has been all about trying to help us all know that we are not alone in what we face, even if what we each face is not the same, I'm just going to let you know that part of that has been about trying to find ways to give self-care during a rather rough patch, these past months.  I've explained that on the PB Community Facebook Page, but not as much for you.  So there you go.

A Gnarled Bit of Wood

        I have the wonderful opportunity to be able to serve as a volunteer at a local hospital, a few hours, once a week.  This week, volunteering was exhausting, but always nice to get out and do it. While there, I had a couple of really interesting conversations, with some odd sorts of realizations!

A Little Dose of Reality

        This week, I want to approach something of a bit of a sensitive nature.  I truly hope that those for whom it might be a bit triggering will allow me to finish my point before giving up on me, because it's about how we face our own mortality when - well, faced with our own mortality.  It really shouldn't be too bad, but I like to give people the heads up.

I Write... Because...

        This week, I'm going to write about... my writing.  I'd more or less been floating around a topic for this week's post, and came across something which resonated so purely with me, it dropped all the other thoughts I'd had, and had me riveted.  This post is unlikely to be as riveting as her message was to me, but it might at least touch someone, in some way, hopefully positive, and that is all it is meant to be.  My heart speaking to someone else's.  So, here we go.

A Reason for a Glass of Rain, in the Darkness

        Gonna try to again this week, just because I really feel like this needs to happen, but so far it just hasn't been happening.  Some believe there is a reason for everything, but I've my own opinions about that.  Either way, reason or no, we're gonna try again.

My Friend, I Just Want You to Know...

Dear Friend,

        I know you're going through a tough time, right now, but I just want you to know...

It's Okay.

Okay, so maybe it all isn't really okay.  But that's okay, too.

Maybe just take some slow, deep breaths while you read this post,

and let it help you come back to center.

You might just found it was just what you needed.

You wouldn't be the only one, I promise.

So Now We Know, and Onward We Go

        Inasmuch as I have been sharing the continuing saga of my search to find answers for myself, I suppose it would be appropriate to share what has happened this past week, as some major, significant events transpired to illuminate a lot of what has been going on!  So let's get on that, hmm?

Calm in "The Diagnosis Vortex of Doom"

        Last week, I shared a link to an article by Michelle Auerbach which resonated with a lot of people who are struggling with illnesses which either cannot be, or simply haven't yet been diagnosed, and an adequate treatment program begun.  The fact that so many agreed it was an issue of importance, both in public and in private, has had me thinking about my own situation, and so, here we go again!  Something a little unusual, but hopefully of value to someone, as well as doing right by Ms Auerbach and her article.

A Decade and an Open Box

        Here we go again.  This week, another personal topic for me, which I hope not to drop on your foot.  If I do, you'll have my sincerest apologies.  As I've said before, I feel that it is important for others to know that they are not alone in their experiences, even if ours are not the same.  We are all made better through being empathic, together.  And hence, we have the PB Project.

Bound and Determined!

        We're going to try for another blog post, this week, my friends.  Maybe we'll actually get it out there and you'll be able to read it!  Here we go....

The Strength that is Weakness

        Been a bit since I was able to post, though I've been sharing some posts from the archives on the PB Facebook Community Page.  Been working on recovering from the consequences of a clash between a flu bug and a distracted immune system!  But hopefully I'm back, and since I've had some interesting observations, lately, and though they do come up from time to time, I thought I'd share some insights from my own perspective.

The Story of The Traveler's Hope

I'd like to tell you a story.

I hope you'd like to have me do that, for you.

If not, my apologies, but I'm going to tell you, anyway.