Write with TLC

Comment: "What I like matters, too." Question "Did you really need me to tell you that?" Reply "Nope, I needed me to tell me that." The words rolled off my tongue easily, but I felt strange saying them. I'd prepared myself to declare the importance of what I like, but I hadn't anticipated the response or my response to the response. And, I realized it was true. As the words left my mouth and lingered in the air - and were answered with silence, I stood and reflected on them for a minute. As a matter of fact, they stayed with me the rest of the night. I ended up writing the following poem. “I needed me to tell me” The words surprised me When I heard them come from my mouth The truth of them Stopped me mid-step Threw me off-balance Left me speechless For a second I stood still in my thoughts Realized I announced aloud That I refuse to need permission From anyone but me For my likes For my wants For my needs F...

I recently read my poetry on Thunderous Thursdays with DJ Maureen. I had a great time! You can listen to the reading and interview here: Reading Poetry on Thunderous Thursdays

"Asking makes you vulnerable." This statement grabbed my attention and shook me until my teeth rattled when Amanda Palmer said it in her TED Talk. I whispered it to myself. I said it aloud in the room. I went back and listened to the talk again days later to think about this one statement again. Vulnerability and I have never been best friends. We've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship. Friends have complained "You never ask for help." and I don't know what they're talking about. I think I ask for help. I have an overwhelming fear of being overly needy and pushing people away with my neediness. But I really do think I ask for help; however, I don't like feeling vulnerable. I've written about my struggle with vulnerability a few times before. Most recently in  Finding Strength in Vulnerability , but perhaps more on target in  Self-destruction Masquerades as Strength . I like to think I'm strong, and I learned early in life that as...

Kentucky Horse Park - May 2012 Recently in the course of a conversation with a friend, we were discussing anger and I mentioned how much easier I find facing life's challenges since I've let go of anger. I went on to explain that it felt like letting go of anger invited opportunities to anger me into my life. In illustrating how I recently faced a moment of anger that lead to a moment of hate that inspired my blog post, Humbled by a Moment of Hate , I mentioned, in a very cliched moment, that the moment of hate "knocked me off my high horse" to which my friend interrupted with something along the lines of "So you know you get on your high horse." much to my surprise. But perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. All I could think in the moment, though, was that we all have moments when we climb on our high horses... Still, over the next week or so, my thoughts went back to the comment multiple times. To the point, I Googled the phrase just to verify...