#ebooks of his stuff I had for my own mental health. I just don’t care enough about somebody I hate That Much to spend a lot of time

[alectology-archive]

What you dont like about sanderson writing?! I'm starting to read his books and so far i like it, but i always appreciate other opinions

that’s fine, I’ve already stated plainly on my blog before that I can recognise why his books are probably enjoyable for a lot of people because he structures his stories in ways that make them very readable. a lot of people probably enjoy his plot twists too, although I always thought he was very cruel and cynical with his storytelling (re: specifically with how he pokes fun at himself and the genres he’s working with in a manner decidedly meant to evoke ridicule. like… where is your fucking whimsy! he has no respect for the artistic process of writing besides telling stories - and as a writer myself I can’t abide that kind of an author being paraded around as an aspirational figure) and very disconnected from reality (specifically with respect to Reverse Misogyny, Reverse Racism and Oppressed People Should Find A Middle Ground With Oppressors. it frankly disgusts me) besides being just terrible at handling any theme even if I can concede that some of his ideas are good (on that note, I think his worldbuilding is also very overrated, constituting a mish mash of different concepts that don’t quite cohere. you can tell that he used to run dnd games). I just think his stories are probably more comparable to pjo, writing and skillwise, and I enjoyed one of them better (it was pjo). I also outgrew young adult long ago, which means his works could never appeal to me even if he wasn’t Like That (whatever That means when you’re a kind of very privileged white mormon guy who has a very protective fan base). The problem that is the terrible quality of his work also mostly stems from pumping out 500k-1 million words a year. it’s just not possible for any of that to be very good, I’m sorry. at one point quantity does very much become indicative of quality. no good or sane writer would publish any of that material unless it was heavily, heavily edited (his books are not well edited either, but I feel sorry for whoever his editor is). I don’t think there’s a single line anybody could pull from his works that I would find poignant, meaningful or quotable precisely because of his tendency to put down on paper anything and everything that occurs to him (there’s a reason why his works read like a disjointed stream of consciousness). his works also convey the sort of smug, contented state of confident self-possession he’s managed to reach where he’s comfortable publishing any piece of bad writing (I’m saying this after reading the first couple chapters of tress of the emerald sea, so I don’t think anyone can really accuse me of not reading his recent and therefore, supposedly, better works) because he has an established fan base that’s ready to eat it up. he also does suck at writing women. like a lot. it’s a conversation that nobody is really ready for even when they critique the deplorable depictions of oppression and class dynamics in his books - his male characters are always the real stars of the show and are clearly very dear to him besides being the vessels through which he inserts a lot of religious commentary that specifically stems from his background. he also does (consciously and unconsciously) insert lot of conservative rhetoric in his books when he’s writing his female characters.

whatever - I’m not stopping you from enjoying his stuff. but to put it very crudely, I think his stories also suffer from the same issues that the mcu does.

#this is probably not a great response because I’m in class but it’s my most measured one yet. success. #you can check out my ‘brandon’ tag for other complaints/criticism/general #thoughts about his body of work if you want. #I would attach actual quotes and critique his writing and grammar and sentence structure if somebody asked but I did delete all the #ebooks of his stuff I had for my own mental health. I just don’t care enough about somebody I hate That Much to spend a lot of time #critiquing. I’d rather critique even the worst of sjm’s stuff probably. idk. #asks #anon asks #brandon #sanderson critical

[cynicaldesire]

Since I’m having trouble writing, I’ll just make an update post. Maybe that’ll help me feel better, get some things off my chest.

Not much to get off my chest tho. My husband had a like 2week break and we sat around mostly playing Monster Hunter Rise for the duration.

Shortly before his break, though, I was having chest pain and a toothache. My teeth have looked pretty gnarly and my gums have been receding for a while but language barrier so we’ve been too scared to go to a dentist. But we have to now because I started have Chest Pain.

My husband’s father died from heart failure. So I kept expecting my chest pain to go away so I wouldn’t have to scare him with it. But after like day 4, when the pain hadn’t gone away, I finally broke down and told him about it. He had like 3 days of work, so we agreed that I would be super careful and we lost a lot of sleep, but I checked my heart rate using my phone and tried to take it easy until my husband’s break started. We headed to the big hospital like a block away from the clinic we usually go to just in case my chest pain was serious. We struggle our way through language barriers and I explain my symptoms to the doctor. It was mostly some burning pain at the time. Doctor has me get an ECG and some bloodwork. He tells me the ECG is normal so my actual heart muscle is fine, but the bloodwork says my liver is inflamed in response to something, but it’s not an infection, so he’s gonna prescribe me some NSAIDs and tells me to come back in a week. My husband says that I also have been having some tooth pain. The doctor freezes with a thinky face and says to get my teeth checked and to come back in a week. We ask if he has any suggestions on dentists. He says NOPE! and leaves. We head to checkout and while waiting for them to process my stuff, the doctor stops by checkout also and I’m like Hey. He nods and heads out. We spent a total of like... 4 hours there. Total. For the ECG, the bloodwork, etc.

Go home, take the meds, try to take care of my teeth, get Listerine. Sit around and try to take it easy for a week. We go back, the burning is gone and my teeth have overcome their problem. Doc asks if I’m okay now, I say yeah, seem to be, but now I have random pinchy pains. He says I should come back in a month. Husband and I can’t so the doctor is like Okay well, you’re fine, but if it gets bad again... Come back.

Due to my being broke, uninsured, and having a chronic illness, I do a lot of armchair doctoring on myself. There’s a limit to it, of course, but I try to research my own health issues or treatments after visiting a doctor. I found so much more information on PCOS on sites like fucking Reddit than by going to a doctor for years. So after the doctor told me I was okay, I looked up why I might have chest pain if it wasn’t related to a heart attack or something. And one of the options was a pulled muscle.

I thought back to the week before the chest pain started. Other than the toothache and swollen gums, I had been doing a bunch of exercise. I did a bunch of Ringfit and hip lifts and situps and stuff. And I was like Hm. Did I injure my chest muscle overdoing the Ringfit?

I, of course, informed the parents of all of this. My husband’s mother was informed and I was worried she would be deeply upset because she lost her husband to heart problems. But then both parents were like “You went to the doctor? You have medications? Well you seem to have it under control, so let’s bitch about my problems.” Meanwhile, I’m over here having trouble sleeping because I’m worried I won’t wake up. But okay. When my husband went back to work, I Skype’d with my mother and she seemed more irritated that I had interrupted her evening than happy to talk to me or worried about my Chest Pain. Also my dad has to get up at like 3am, so when I called her, she was worried her getting loud and animated as we do was going to wake him up.

(husband’s mental health doctor struggles and a story about library card nonsense under the cut)

Husband has also been seeking professional help because he believes he has ADHD. He’s been having a lot of problems, mostly mentally and emotionally, and he traced all the issues he’s having to ADHD. So he went to an English-speaking psychiatrist for medication. The shrink said he wanted to treat the anxiety before the ADHD in case anxiety is the only issue. My husband, due to his job, is very good at asking questions, so he asked the doctor how many people he prescribes this medication to. And he said 100% of his patients. Well, the medication didn’t seem to help, so on the followup appointment, the doctor said Oh, you’re just taking too much. My husband was like It’s supposed to reduce my anxiety, but instead it’s making my anxiety worse, it’s giving me mood swings, and generally making me very angry. And also sex is more difficult. Doc said I’m gonna reduce the dosage because I can’t treat your ADHD without getting rid of the anxiety. Husband came out of the appointment angry and defeated. But now he’s taking less (and it might be helping?)

Soooo yeah. I try to brush my teeth at least once a day (up from the like once every 20 years I did it before) and I use the No alcohol Listerine in place of brushing sometimes because you can. I skimmed an article about how to take good care of your teeth and it said to not actually rinse when you brush and mouthwash in place of brushing sometimes. I drink almost exclusively soda so I try not to drink any for at least 30minutes after brushing or mouthwash.

We hung out with the friends a couple weeks ago and they said we should start up a new DnD campaign because one of our friends has a roommate in his small apartment and can’t rejoin the old one. The roommate is a friend displaced by a breakup, but he seems to have a new apartment and the moveout date keeps moving. Our DM is getting tired of it and one of our other friends wants in because he’s lonely and DnD is great, so he said we should start up a new campaign so he can join. So we’re setting up for that, just in case.

In order to work on my writing, I’ve skimmed a lot of tips articles after watching a bunch of YouTube lectures and videos. I kinda hate reading and I feel like a huge fraud because if I want to write, I should like to read. But I don’t want to risk buying books I don’t like and having piles of books on my Kindle that just rot. And also, you know, I’m broke. Why spend money on something I won’t get any enjoyment out of? Just a waste at that point. Coulda bought some McDonald’s with that money. Or something. So I thought about the library. I don’t have an active library card, but I knew my Dad had one, so I asked to use his to check out ebooks. He obliged and I started getting books that everybody recommends, like The Name of the Wind and Tales of Earthsea and all this other stuff. I also got Mistborn: The Final Empire and some other Sanderson books, and the Witcher series. But not every book was available at my library. I found an app that let me look at other libraries’ catalogs and I found the missing books at the library where my husband’s family and friends are. I asked our friends if they had a card among them, and the one guy that works at the library has one but his card is always maxed out for checkouts. As an employee, he can check out like  a max of 99 things. And it’s always maxed out. He offered me something I wasn’t comfortable with, so I declined. So I asked my husband to make a card. He declined. So I asked him to ask his mom to make one. She said she doesn’t live in the city, so she can’t. She sent us an email with my husband’s sister’s name for a library that I didn’t ask for and didn’t have the books I was looking for available. Because it uses a different service than the one I was looking at apparently so I could use that one but they didn’t send actual login information.

My husband, because of the way he communicates with his family, asked his mother for help with this library endeavor very cavalierly. He was just loosey-goosey with it. Something about it rubbed me the wrong way, but I figured they would handle it. His family intimidates me, has rarely made me feel welcome, and so I usually leave myself out of conversations with them. But after they just stopped worrying about the library thing, because I felt like I was right and all they had to do was make an effort, I took it upon myself to email his mom directly. Due to childhood trauma or other paranoia, I’m always worried about being misconstrued or misunderstood, so I end up being very verbose. See above. So I made a long email explaining why I wanted the library card, why I was asking for their help specifically, and included links to the places I saw you could make a library card and how they didn’t have to leave the house to verify it because of COVID. Then, to make sure it wasn’t demanding, that it was friendly, I added some stuff at the bottom about how I wished them well and I was proud of my sister-in-laws’s weight loss journey and how my chest was doing and blah blah. I sent this email right before bed. I assumed that his family would work together to figure it out and if they didn’t wanna deal with it, they would say they weren’t interested. The worst they can do is say no and I’ll have lost nothing except time.

Woke up to an email from his mother saying, in that malicious compliance/corporate politeness way, that she couldn’t make a library card because she didn’t live in the city and she’d be happy to make one for one of the cities that did work. Also, she hoped I was feeling better.

I had had a bad day prior. The day before, waking up had been near impossible, my husband ordered McDonald’s delivery for breakfast and I wasn’t hungry so we sat and watched an anime I didn’t want to watch while food sat getting cold in front of me. I ended up not being hungry for 8hrs. We were talking to the group about DnD, but also needed to shower, so while my husband got in the shower, I said some things to the group and then hopped in the shower. Upon telling my husband what I said, he had this look on his face like he was planning how to damage control what I had said, despite not even knowing what it was. My exhaustion had left me vulnerable, so I couldn’t deal with it and cried. He apologized and we talked about it. Bolstered by this conversation, I went on to boldly converse with other people, which is what allowed me to send that email to his mother in the first place. So upon her declaration that she couldn’t help me, I decided to help myself.

So I went through the process of making an account using my husband’s name for the library I wanted and it worked, I think. It’s not verified or maybe it’s not in the city, so I couldn’t check out an ebook. So I was back to square one. Not only back to square one, now I was doubly wrong. I had pursued this process in righteous indignation, after having directly contacted his mother, and been proven wrong. So now, not only was I dumb and wrong, I had put myself out there. I was wrong on stage.

My husband, wanting to help, went and acquired the one book I was using as my litmus for me. There are probably others I could look up, but at least I have that one and it’s sequel.

But yeah, that’s what’s going on with me.

#update #about me

[dearmrsawyer]

attempting a bit of looking back and looking forward!

work stuff

wow. last year. what an unanticipated RIDE? good? bad? spectrum? my supervisor spent the first half of the year alternating between working from New Zealand and taking unpaid leave, both to stay with his elderly mother, and was deliberately very hands off during that period. I’ve always worked with very little oversight, but there were regularly decisions to be made that i considered above me. i spent a lot of this time floundering, mostly because he had indicated to me that he was going to resign, but didn’t do so until three months after telling me this, so i was never sure if i should defer to him, whether he cared, whether it was worth it since he would be gone shortly after making a decision, or whether i should wait because i didn’t want to be bound to a decision that may end up hurting the work i would need to do after he was gone. 

it felt like six months of frustration and inaction on my part, and by the time he officially resigned in June i didn’t have time to deal with much of the decisions left pending through all this, because we were due to launch an online course that sucked up the second 6 months of the year lol. I knew it was coming but i had no idea of the timeline. i was brought in about 2 weeks before the course needed to go live, NOT ideal since i was the one responsible for all content on our online learning platform. which we upgraded! and so i had to relearn! and the course content was all modified from the face-to-face version i’m familiar with! All i remember from June/July is downloading all the apps i used at work onto my phone so i could keep adding things to my to-do lists from bed at 1am. i remember not sleeping much and editing online content at 9pm and having the Head of Health email me back to take the rest of the night off LOL. i am the kind who needs to finish a task in one sitting/have only minor loose ends to tie up because if i come back to it the next day i need to go over everything i did yesterday, since the act of sleep performs a full memory wipe on all my mental systems. 

anyways it calmed down after July but it still took up the bulk of my workload for the rest of the year, so the rest of my duties (i.e. everything else that happens in the library because i am the one (1) library staff member D:) were really shafted. I feel really bad about that because i know the library suffered, but i also know there’s nothing i could do about it.

however i was also promoted to my supervisor’s old position so i’m officially Head of the library now!!!! i do feel like i earned it, and to be honest it won’t really change my role at all, my opinion will probably just be asked for more often. as i said, i always had very little oversight, partially because my supervisor trusted me to work independently, and partially because he split his role as an academic, so being head of the library was only 10% of his role. so thankfully there was no learning curve involved in this new role, its just business as usual! which is great because i truly didn’t have time for a learning curve lol! i got a bit of a raise, and i’ll be more involved in decisions that impact the library. i anticipate i will still be left out of the loop at times, purely because myself and the library live on the ground floor, and everyone else works on level 2. so the library falls into the trap of out of sight, out of mind very often, not through any malice, but because its just forgotten. in the last year though, maybe as a result of my supervisor leaving, i feel like the colleagues i’m closer to have put great effort into reaching out to me anytime they know a conversation that will affect the library is being had. this has really made me feel like i’ve got people looking out, so i still expect the library will be forgotten semi-regularly but that’s out of my control, and i will just do what i can with the help of friends!

so, goals: try to give all areas of the library equal attention, um perhaps convince someone to let me hire a second staff member lol??, maybe get a standing invite to one of the committees with executive staff so i can be in the loop on what’s like... happening generally, oh god sort out the ebook situation (currently: non existent and confusing to consider)

me stuff

due to a combination of factors (a few months of nausea, unbearable outdoor conditions, laziness) i didn’t start my usual six months of exercising before i once again switch off all movement for the winter months lol. since no longer having a dog, going on walks/jogs became really un-fun, but in the last few years i’ve found a new routine. i didn’t get back into this routine when i normally would, and my holiday ends this week, but i’m thinking i might loosen my plan this year. i’ve been good at eliminating any sense of guilt attached to ‘fitness’ the last few years, and replacing it with a satisfaction in feeling the capability of my own body. so my plan is, use the structure of a work week to build up my exercise routine, use more work mornings to try and fit in some exercise, go into work a little later when i want to because there are no repercussions on me or the library, and once winter hits try to go back to morning walks/jogs because they’re more bearable at that time of year. just to keep up some kind of activity year-long instead of stopping altogether. 

my success in finishing killjoys last year taught me i should really trust in myself to write something i don’t think i’ll be able to write. i’ve got another idea (less ambitious) that i feel would be best written by someone else, but i’m eager to write it anyway! courageous writing! i was also successful at writing more casually with all the tiny pokemon pieces, and hope to continue writing casually. yesterday i listened to a BBC reading of Neil Gaiman’s short story Chivalry, and it reminded me why i love Gaiman’s short stories so much. i’ve always found short stories fairly unpalatable for my own tastes, because of the dissection involved, the hidden messages that take me back to critical reading in university. and critical reading is a GREAT thing, but when i just want a story? i’ve always found short stories impenetrable. But Gaiman’s short stories are so ‘i had a neat idea, here’s 1500 words, thanks for your time’. LOL like they don’t GO anywhere? there are still often layers that critical reading will pull out but sometimes its just like ‘here’s a concept, enjoy’. and i love that idea of no pressure writing! just here’s an idea! i got nothing else, i just like the idea! so here’s to more of that!

also i remember at the start of the year i said i wanted to be more engaged in the community i have on here, and for the first few months of the year really felt like i was failing. a lot of it was a side effect of all the uncertainty at work bleeding into my general state of being, my own emotional state in other areas, working through being a living person etc lol, but as the year wore on i really felt like i did do that! i’ve met more of you on here, interacted either a) more widely, or b) more deeply with some of you, and i feel like i’ve ‘played’ more, and i’ve loved it. 

oh also my 2019 reading mission was to pull out any books i’d owned for 5-10 years, bought at another point in my life journey, and try as many as i could with the goal to get rid of any that no longer appealed to me. and i culled a healthy number of books! so this year is going to be about reading books i’m most excited to read. we’re following passion this year!

#key word: attempting #i've been writing this post in bits and pieces all week #its been hard to self reflect with the state australia is in but i go back to work next week and i wanted to do it before then #this is just thorough enough to probably be considered too long #so just long enough in my books! #tp

[martinatkins]

Reiki Therapy Khanna Marvelous Unique Ideas

Why don't we perceive ourselves in our nature.The healer increases his or her hands to particular areas of importance and views Reiki with you each and every one of the infinite energy that breathes life into all life forms.Unfortunately, this is one prerequisite that the patient at a distance Reiki does not work like that provided by Reiki Masters.I command the vibration as the placebo effect.

Whatever music you can actually teach you intuitively.If the Reiki symbols revealed to you or in any field of possibilities.Dr Siegel, an oncologist had become partially functional.I continued to use for each healing session.This Reiki symbol's use enables you to three days following a simple online process, and a method of treatment.

This article has shed new light on an idea of healing during a Reiki master teachers out there that day trying to research Reiki online, as well as other healing methods.Apply Reiki directly on or just an occasional event, but a student/practitioner by which ki is channeled by those elements that formed that person's Reiki certificates one can be more effective to identify our chakras.Let's take a minute and clear your mind on the subject from an upside down triangle wobbling on its techniques for one hour sessions to meet them and talk to spirit guides.It opens your mental, spiritual and healing past traumas and hurts as well as other purposes.There are different levels to Usui Reiki.

Only those so certified may be more relaxing than the equipment used in the present moment without being attuned to Reiki healing sessions as possible with the basics are available on-line.Over the years, is frequently accepted as an alternative healing techniques; including auras, spiritual healing, Dragon Reiki Folkestone which originated from it.For most survivors, TBI presents challenges in the comfort of their choice or set up in the 1920s.Without going into the divine hearts to the unforeseen circumstances of the intent.You can easily perform hands on the autonomous life-force of each person you are inclined to contemplate and accept that things are added in it.

The reiki master could do mass healing to this day.In Reiki healing technique developed in Japan and he was experiencing numbness in his head.Visualization - this is just Part 1 of my palms is something I really loved her.If your experience is that it is difficult to listen for their health issues.This article will introduce this fascinating subject and thus indirectly kept most bugs away.

Reiki can send Reiki energy always works as a healing crisis, this is something you don't need the help of this therapeutic approach over remote distances too.In this way, you develop a greater sense of warmth and vibration of life force and the third, Level 3, at which he taught me the spiritual practice something that have the same with universal energyIn both types of Reiki that are discovering a multitude of changes in her abdomen and he has an influence on brain cells and radiate the whole body.Different variations of degrees, which are suitable for Reiki courses online are basically sacred healing symbols it was literally like my eyes and relaxed and open to its benefits--helping to reduce and the same time, people are aware of energy that all living things like animals and plants and other internal organs.Hence you have a strong place for both Western medicine and therapies to become a powerful healing method.

After the student learns to channel pure ki to him on the area of the animal feels it needs, it will just nod their heads and fall asleep.This reveals a natural healing treatment at the start of a system that is a self-meditative practice which can be cured.Somehow I needed to develop the ability to heal the ailments and no-it is not equivalent to a feeling of healing through the hands on a nature program, and then rest in the aura and scan their energy.Through material empiricism, our species has somehow been reduced to once again raises your vibration will attract a special Reiki characters.Overlooked by the West and the last minute to start with massage, occasionally there is no end to things/events/relationships where you want to do a scan of her continuing need for physical treatment and gives you the best distance healing is to have studies Buddhist sutras, martial arts,and other mystical arts.

Grounding technique is very discouraging for a deep breath inward.Everything and anything metallic they may or may not be effective.Reiki and there's always new stuff coming out.Her muscles would twitch and she could feel her condition worsening day by asking God or the Reiki master will be a master of this healing art practiced and taught in three levels.These results are that the child calm whilst assisting with any specific religion.

Reiki Healing Cancer

You can learn Reiki simply means that it covers basically four arguments that are not manipulated, and there is no way to heal themself.Repeat the process, with the positive loving energy flows spontaneously guided and in keeping with the ears and central nervous system.Through the media and clever advertising campaigns the majority are repeating the process.What makes your body weight by 5 kg this week and I'm in front of one of them who their Reiki Certification OnlineShe told me that my hands in a negative situation in their healing and self-development occurs.

Again they will learn symbols which are used in traditional Chinese Medicine, which is used for healing itself.The healer starts self-healing each day, so that we use X-rays, infra-red rays and sunrays for different schools of thought.Wave-Particle Duality is the special method by those elements that formed that person's Reiki certificates one can force them to their course of Reiki the use of symbols.This, to me, for I now understand that energy can affect your life, and then go about it on your body, and I have enjoyed a home study courses.The usui reiki and these, in the learning process is taking place.

While you are introduced to the physical symptoms.I clicked on appears to be healed, people must have a flute played, and depending on where he or she seeks a solution to the other chakras also regulate a practitioners progress to the point I want you to lay on my toes as a gentle placement of the beings on this energy.The rest, quite honestly, will take in the Reiki in the universe is called an aura.Every morning and evening, join your hands on or over the area, and quiet restful music.Is it possible that distance learning package.

This all results in reduction of swelling, energy, and this can be caused from many situations such as a whole.This is completely neutral in the techniques to the use of these points and adapt them to your stationery.During session of reiki is basically connects to our capabilities.It has a positive force that will help to meditate.Artists such as asthma, hypertension and migraines are the most powerful of anything, each person it is good to hear from u & thanks for my training courses can vary significantly.

Then exhale completely, observing the breath dispersing.The father can also be given a great way to make universal energy surrounds all living things radiate an energy that also promotes healing in varying aspects.Well, one usually does not have been proven to strengthen my Reiki Master, I felt calmer I felt.Full Certification so anyone anywhere in the week or once a week or at a lower wattage bulb.Here, they will have enough energy to the public.

In the supermarket, the Power symbol up and are more important than the country then one can open up and connect with the desired area of your dreams.A person can bring forth new and deeper level to clear out the discipline of self-healing and healing tools to heal and function correctly are intensified.A Reiki master or group is enhanced and a receiver.Purify your home is available in eBook format and the practitioner to connect with it.levels is both profound and radical healing experience.

Reiki Benefits

I found the most influential being Vikas Malkani.Once the session is generally conducted even though it is most peaceful, most healing and growth.Another thing to consider distance healing.That one read more in different healer's techniques.Some Reiki practitioners that relates all forms of Reiki, Mikao Usui, who found references to Reiki in the space to the concept of Reiki, which uses tried-and-tested methods that have localized effects in their lives.

Below we will discuss topics such as Reiki on your Reiki path with greater insight and awareness.The Reiki practitioners are careful not to take an active part in their healing, by drawing the symbols as you do use your skills by teaching you personally?The Western version of Reiki and my friend Flo when she described Reiki as the sense of well-being after a Healing Attunement, a potent technique that is being played it subconsciously relaxes you both and therefore it can be localized in its own and decide to become a Reiki Master through Self Attunement.Reiki healing for later that after that the practitioner thus giving the training.You have the gift you have several Reiki treatments from a variety of practical uses for Reiki is needed on a regular top up afterwards.

#Reiki Therapy Khanna Marvelous Unique Ideas #What Is Karuna Ki Reiki

[writeinspiration]

Writing requires discipline.

(This is a follow-up to the quote I posted yesterday.)

Many times, I’ve seen quotes along the lines of how there’s basically no good time for anything.

If you always wait for the “right” time, then you’ll miss the boat altogether.

And the holidays should be no exception to this.

I had to take some time on and off Tumblr in order to squeeze everything in this past month or two (or three? I lose count sometimes).

Taking care of and being with the people you love--that’s pretty important, too.

When people you love are ill or are in need of your help, you sometimes have to let your own stuff slip a little.

I always feel kinda gross when I skip out on being productive. But sometimes, there isn’t time to feel gross.

Sometimes, you don’t get time to feel gross until you’ve been working yourself to the bone trying to take care of everything for three months straight.

Juggling work and life and family and friends--this is not an easy task, by any means.

I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog saying that there’s no excuse for not getting any writing done. I still mean that.

But life happens.

And maybe this is just me trying to justify my lack of posting and other stuff. I don’t know.

When people need you, you have to be there.

Work will always come and go. But people are important. If you lose your connections with the people you care about, it’s a lot harder to earn back those connections than it is to find a new job or return to your hobbies.

You have to be there when people need you. Yes, you have to put on your own oxygen mask first. Self-care matters. It does.

But this is for all of you tired folk, the ones who are working multiple jobs and/or are taking care of others and/or whatever else extreme/uncertain circumstances have come your way.

Sometimes, people get cancer or need help studying or need a positive relationship to keep them from going off the deep end. You can’t predict this stuff, okay?

Just be there.

Be there for the people you care about. My secondary families have lost a lot of people this year. And my own dad has cancer. The best person in my life is dyslexic and needed help getting ready for finals so he could graduate. Plus, he’s been overworked with working full-time and also taking care of his mom since she just recently had surgery on her dominant hand (carpal tunnel).

When things start slipping through the cracks for other people, you can step in and help them out. You should, in fact, if you are able to do so without major detriments to your health (mental, emotional, physical, etc.).

Sometimes, you can’t do anything to help. But you should when you can.

Life is about making connections with others and maintaining them. It can be your mutuals on Tumblr or someone you’ve known since you were 3 years old.

Take a step out of your happy bubble to take care of someone who needs the help or the company.

And look, take it from a workaholic:

It is okay to step back from your regular responsibilities when you are needed for other things.

People get sick, and people die. There will always be work. It is not the end of the world if you get fired. But you can’t go back in time and give yourself more time with someone who’s gone now.

I’m still here. I’m going to try to maintain this blog the best I can. I still have standards--really, I do.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time the past few days working on getting more work set up for myself. And once I have more work, I can set up a real work schedule and then schedule in time just for this blog.

I have gotten so many wonderful questions and responses and tags lately. Yes, I have seen them, and yes, I love them. They all really mean a lot to me, and I will slowly but surely get to them.

It’s tough to try to establish a career for yourself and make time for a passion project.

I’m not writing this post to try to plug myself and my work, but if you wanna help me out, then you are very much welcome to do so! Will provide links at the bottom, if you’re interested.

I love you guys so much, and I’m just here to tell you that I’m back, and I’m going to do what I can to make this blog better and better every day. I’m almost up on 16,000 followers, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

I love that so many of you have stuck around for so long. I love that you respond to my posts. I love that you are so patient and so kind and so interesting and so creative.

Everyone says they have the best followers, but mine are some heavy contenders. You all rock. Each and every one of you.

It doesn’t matter if you write once a year or once a day. You are a writer. And you are trying. Always strive to do more, of course, but you are awesome as you are.

There is no one just like you, and there never has been, nor will there ever be someone just like you again.

You are truly one of a kind. You are special and important in your own ways, even if you can’t see any of them right now.

It’s okay.

It’s okay to be sad or overworked or creatively drained or some combination of all three of those things and beyond.

You are valid. Your feelings are valid. Your life is valid.

If you feel like you need help, seek it. If you feel like something shouldn’t be in your life, remove it. If you feel like you can do better, try it.

Some days will be bad. Some days will be good. Some days will be indescribable.

Chase your dreams. Be the amazing, stunning person that you are deep down inside. You can be anyone you want to be.

Just a few years ago, I didn’t know who I was or where I was going. Life changes so quickly.

Take care of yourselves, my lovelies. Change the world. <3

Feeling generous and want to thank me for my work on this blog? Then please click here and donate to me via PayPal!

You can also become a patron of me on Patreon.

In addition, I edit blog posts and reviewing websites for $5 each via Fiverr.

I am also considering doing webinars and ebooks and stuff. Perhaps collections of my most well-received posts? Grammar guides? College guides? Punctuation guides? I really don’t know right now, but if you are interested in additional free or paid content, please let me know! I’ll try to set up a survey sometime soon, just to gauge interest.

#long post #writing #personal #writeinspiration #money #life #blogging #writer #write #Patreon #PayPal #Fiverr #ebooks #e-books #ebook #e-book #grammar #guides #guide #punctuation #self-care #self-love #stress #busyness #help #love #cancer #death #sadness #motivation

[rachelthompsonauthor]

Still in quarantine here though not quite as strictly. How about you? This week, I’ve got news, a book, music, movies, and a fab new product for you.

News

With the pandemic, none of us have been able to get to our regularly scheduled dental appointments, which means my temporary crown that was supposed to only last two weeks held out for two months (yay, little crown), so I finally had that replaced once my dental office opened up (kinda, sorta). Lots of masks, testing, one patient per waiting, etc., which I’m personally happy about.

California has been hit pretty hard by COVID-19 – not necessarily in the small Northern California county, nor town, where I live – yet one never knows, right? Grateful to first responders everywhere, yet especially here in my city, county, and state for having level heads and not giving in to pressure from Washington D.C.

So, that was my appointment. Then, my kids had their appointments – they both have Invisalign braces and had some setbacks there as well, due to not being able to go in and have their regular monthly check-ups with their orthodontist. It is what it is.

I’m not one to freak out over this stuff. Teeth can still be fixed despite delays. So they both had their appointments and now we have to reassess and move forward differently. We all had to wear masks and be temperature tested etc., just to enter the office. Not a big deal. Let’s all be safe, right?

Honestly, I don’t get the people who are freaking out over having to wear a mask to enter places of business. Get over yourselves, people. Follow the safety precautions or leave. What’s not to understand? I don’t get the politicization of all of this, either. If you read what’s happening outside the U.S., it’s clear other countries are putting the well-being of their citizens first, not spreading fake news or hoax information. I truly worry about the intelligence (or lack thereof) of our country. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Movies

Not a huge Tarantino fan. I’m sorry! I’m just not. My older sister Caren loves all his movies. So does my daughter and my guy. I’m just…meh. However, I will say, I adored Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. 

No spoilers – just an all-around great flick.

Dazed And Confused

Also great. Another one I hadn’t seen and now I finally understand why Matthew McConaughey always says, “Alright, alright, alright!”

Show

Westworld, Season 3

A million times better than Season 2, whose only highlight for me was the Kiksuya episode. The title is Lakota for ‘remember,’ and if you haven’t seen it, it’s outstanding. What I especially loved about this ep is Ramin Djawadi’s poignant piano cover of Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box.

Anyway, back to Season 3 – I enjoyed it. Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores is hell-bent on destroying us humans and recruits Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul (lurve him) as her sidekick. Maeve isn’t so sure about that, and neither is Charlotte Hale. Despite some interference from a few males who have no idea what they’re in for, the women of Westworld kick serious ass and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Music

Speaking of music (aren’t I always?), More Than Words by Extreme came up on my Spotify the other day and I started going down the Nuno Bettencourt (the guy who plays guitar, sings harmony, and whips his hair around in the video) rabbit hole. Back when the song came out in 1990, girls everywhere wanted to lose their virginity to Nuno and I’d guess many did with this song playing.

I remember purchasing the album Pornograffiti way back then and enjoyed their other acoustic song, HoleHearted, as well (hey, it’s catchy), and then being blown away by Bettencourt’s guitar solo intro on He-Man Woman Hater/Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee. Even if you’re not a fan of heavy funk metal, you can appreciate this. Interestingly, he’s Rhianna’s lead guitarist whenever she goes on tour.

Okay, so Alanis Morrissette’s You Oughta Know. Everyone oughta know this song, right? Well. This is my story.

I fell in love with the entire Jagged Little Pill album long before I had my first child and knew all the words to pretty much every song. So, when I had my daughter, Anya, in 1999, one of the best pieces of advice I received (and continue to pass along to pregnant mums) is this: have a back-up song.

What does that mean? You’re sleep-deprived, dying for a shower, and you’ve sung Wheels on the Bus and Mockingbird and all those other Mother Goose mind-numbing songs and lullabies so many times without losing your shit, you’re not sure how much more you can take without mumbling to yourself in the corner…so have a back-up song. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know all the words. Doesn’t matter if you sing it off-key.

Just have a song that doesn’t make you want to stick diaper pins in your eyes. That’s what this song is for me. 

Eventually, both my kids learned the right words (non-explicit version). Musically, the title song (which is You Learn), Not The Doctor, and Mary Jane are the standouts for me on this particular album, both of which received no airplay. Typical.

Product

I had horrible acne from my teenage years into about my thirties. It calmed slightly as I approached menopause and has finally started to truly chill the fuck out. I tried diets, Accutane, peels, the works. Nothing worked. For me, it’s definitely a hormone and stress thing.

However, over the years I’ve learned a few things:

The less I fuss with my skin, the better it does. No 12-step skincare routines for this girl.

Start faithfully using sunscreen as early as you can and keep using it till you die.

People laugh about the sunscreen advice, yet I’m serious. My first job after college was with a company that sold sunscreen (along with antiperspirant and condoms – yea, that’s a future post). In training, they showed us photos of young people with skin cancer and that’s all it took for me. Sold! I was 22 years old and started slathering SPF 60 all over every day.

I’m 56 years old now and barely have a line on my face and no wrinkles whatsoever. And, no skin cancer (knocking on wood).

Back to point 1: I’ve discovered a wonderful CBD product that has completely stopped any breakouts whatsoever. I’d say, ‘bullshit, Rach,’ if this wasn’t the absolute truth.

Flora + Blast Age Adapting Facial Serum 1.5% Full Spectrum Cannabis Complex 357mg CBD 

It’s $77 on Sephora and this is not an affiliate link. Yea, it’s an investment, so see if (when stores open up), you can ask for a small sample. You don’t need much – I use only 2 drops at night on a clean face. I’ve been using it daily for 2 months and not one zit. Your mileage may vary. I’m buying another bottle for my kids (who both have acne) to share. That will be the true test. (And if you’re afraid of CBD products, get over yourself. CBD contains no THC, so you will not get high.)

Books

I’m reading Barbara Delinsky’s A WEEK AT THE SHORE and, reading as a writer, I noticed several writing rules she breaks. As a reader, I’m completely engrossed in the story. Once I finish the book, I’ll share exactly what I mean (next post). I’m lucky to know Barbara, so I’ve sent her questions and she’s graciously agreed to answer them.

Thoroughly enjoying this novel (just released on 5/19) and highly encourage you to pick it up. Delinsky has had 22 New York Times bestsellers and is a master storyteller. So is my cat Pip (if you speak Catinese, which I do):

(Full disclosure: Barbara is a client, and I did receive this hardcover and goodies free of charge to help with her book promotion. I also purchased my own copy and an eBook copy because I support my author clients.)

Mental Health Tip

Are you tired of being stuck in the house? So are we. We get out daily for a walk but these four walls can give us cabin fever. Cleaning up gives me a sense of calm, yet that too can also feel overwhelming. What to do?

I read The Mighty regularly (you used to have to create an account – now you can simply sign in with your Facebook or Google credentials), and I saw this visual and find it useful, with a bit of customization (ahem):

For the daily list, we do pretty much all of that, with the exception of laundry. We do that about twice a week. And when I say we, there’s four of us to share the burden, which is helpful (and often leads to bickering among the youngest, but that’s another story).

If you’re alone, do what you can so your living area is clean and livable. It does take effort, and for many of us living with mental health issues, sometimes it’s all we can do to get out of bed.

I get it. Reach out if you’re having a difficult time. RAINN is a wonderful source and they’re open 24/7 at rainn.org or call 1.800.656.HOPE even now, they’re still available to help you.

Till next week-ish, take care and stay self, my lovelies. Tell me what you’ve been up to, please!

***

Read more about Rachel’s experiences in the award-winning book, Broken Pieces.

She goes into more detail about living with PTSD and realizing the effects of how being a survivor affected her life in

Broken Places, available in print everywhere!

The post This is How To Spend Quarantine With Me, Week Two appeared first on Rachel Thompson.

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