Your Shit

Let's get right down to business.

Something awful has happened to you: maybe all at once, maybe over a course of years. Perhaps you were in combat, perhaps you were raped. You may have been robbed at gunpoint, you may have been dumped by a spouse you thought was your forever person. Maybe your house and all its contents were blown away in a storm. Maybe your child has died before you.

Why the Language?

When I told my dear spouse about this blog and its title, he shook his head just as I'd known he would. You have such a good vocabulary, he said. Do you really need to use that language?

Starting Over

It couldn't be more fitting, to be starting over on a blog that's about starting over.

Trauma Treatment in the News

These days we are reading a great deal about trauma treatment. While we all hate to think of so many victims of trauma, this coverage is a good thing because trauma sufferers shouldn't feel like they're the only ones who've been handed a massive pile of shit like yours. However, it can be confusing when you have an array of choices and no 100% sure way to know what will work for you. Look at it this way: lots of people can take a couple of aspirin for a headache, but some people are not going to respond well to aspirin. Even something like a headache and its treatment have a zillion variations.

The Trigger Warning Controversy

A couple of years ago I bought a car with satellite radio potential. Since my own humble opinion is that Austin has the worst radio of any major city I've ever been in, I signed up for the satellite and never looked back. 

Creativity: Whatcha Gonna Make Outta That Shit of Yours?

I was listening recently to a radio interview with Philipe Petit - magician, juggler, wire-walker, artist, inspirational speaker - on the topic of creativity, the subject of his most recent book. At the time I was treating myself to a slow drive through the hill country west of Austin on a beautiful spring day. I had no goal or destination in mind; there was nothing that I wanted or needed. I had some thought that I might practice learning to take landscape photographs, but as it turned out I never took my tripod out of the car.

Watching A New Museum Open

This week I've been taking in the NY Times coverage of the opening of the 9/11 Memorial - a controversial project about a horrible event. Even those of us who just watched the attacks on television, or who only know-someone-who-knew-someone who was killed, have been deeply affected.

With All Respect

My language here may be coarse, as it is in real life, and my attitude may be sharp at the edges. But the fact is, I have all due respect for everyone who is confronting a terrible experience. No one, and I mean no one, gets to judge how people manage the traumas and tragedies that happen to anyone else.

What IS This Shit?!?

Everybody's pile of shit is unique, even if the circumstances surrounding the endowment seem similar. To have your house broken into and a bunch of your stuff stolen is traumatic, but it's going to have different meanings for people, and different impacts.