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Emily Levin's avatar

So glad you put words down to share. Showing up as you are is its own kind of church, even with bummer burned granola! Yikes! My mom called this the ministry of failure— not that it is failure, but allowing yourself to be known and seen as less than polished and perfect can feel that way. Keeping it real. Her stance was it allowed others to then show up as themselves once you revealed yourself to be authentic.

The cognitive dissonance of the weird and oddly normal is extreme over here. I find myself gritting my teeth while reading a book or obsessing about what I will cook for dinner tomorrow. ( as of now, baked potatoes)

These touch points in writing from a friend and moments in person keep me grounded and aware of what is.

Wishing you all the nights of pain-free and peaceful sleep.

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Bethany Reid's avatar

Life is SO weird right now. I find myself reading Substacks like Robert Reich and Heather Cox Richardson and Hopium -- political stuff I had been avoiding the last few months -- in order to FEEL BETTER about my life. Started reading Joseph Nguyen's popular little book, Don't Believe Everything You Think, and it's helping, I think. Or maybe all of this is just to say I'm looking for someone to tell me: Geez, it's all falling apart and I'm not alone. Also, maybe there's something I can do. I send a little money to ACLU and other than that I'm just treading water here and trying not to go under. Still seeking a diagnosis for the hubs and his mental decline, still living with a person who doesn't know (or won't accept) that he's losing control. I also read Chicken Scratch, by the way (probably because you sent me there on another occasion). And my progressive church has great readerboard signs, too. This is all over the place, which is why I haven't blogged for a while. I will be back: www.bethanyareid.com -- A Habit of Writing.

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