I’d like to talk to you about something that is very near and dear to me: YOU! More specifically, your presence in this world of blogging; this world of expression. Many times I read comments about you not being sure you should write this, express that. Well, I am here to tell you: Let It Flow!
Those of you who know me know I let it rip. I don’t care what the subject, what my emotions, what the situation: I let it fly! Some people have commented I should leave recovery in anonymity. That I am revealing far too much about myself and my recovery. Sometimes I wonder myself. And then, I remember: I have been given one life to live and I must live it freely!
I must speak my truth and I must be pure and honest and reveal everything! Why? Because I want to, need to, have to, and because I can! And something funny has been happening since I have taken this new approach to my life: I am healing, growing, flourishing! Don’t get me wrong, I have miles to go before I sleep, but what a difference it has made. Disclaimer: this is not a sales pitch for rose-colored glasses, miracle cures, life is going to all work itself out, or any other such namby pamby philosophy…haha.
I do not believe sobriety and trauma and pain and abuse and sorrow and sexual abuse and ptsd and rape and physical abuse and torture and depression and suicide and health issues and psychological disorders and any and all the other myriad things many of us suffer from, should stay in the shadows (and no, that sentence is not punctuated properly). Oh no! Quite the contrary: That’s where our demons like to live. That’s where they like to breed, to multiply, and to keep us: living in fear and darkness.
Our demons, our thoughts and emotions sometimes like to keep us under their thumb. They do not want exposure. They fear the recriminations. They fear the light. They keep their hands around our throats so that we will remain ever mute and silent.
They keep us company and pretend to love us. We are fearful to expose ourselves, lest we cheat on them. We worry what people might think. We worry we might say the wrong things. We worry that what we have to say is not important. Let It Flow!
I don’t need to go on and on about this. You know exactly what I am talking about here. And I am here to tell you that you must be brave! You must trust that your feelings are valid. You must trust that your truth matters. You matter! What you have to say matters! If not to anyone else but to you!
I cannot tell you how many times–over and over again–I read something you have posted and just sit back and feel myself change. I truly evolve each time you take risks. Without you, and I mean this with all my heart and soul, I daresay I would not have come so far so fast. And if I am feeling that way, many of you are having the same experiences!
So, as I like to comment many times, Write On! Bleed your heart onto the page. Don’t hesitate. Don’t vacillate. Don’t wonder. Just write and in so doing you will free yourself, little by little and bit by bit, from that which despairs you, troubles you, keeps you hostage. Who cares what other people think? Isn’t that what keeps us down many times when we want to scream out “HERE I AM. VALIDATE ME! I EXIST WHY CAN’T YOU SEE ME?”
When you think that what you are about to write, or have written, can’t possibly be of any value to anyone that’s when you post it the quickest! You are relevant! You are not alone. We are in this together, you and I.
I am convinced that 50% of the world is batshit crazy and the other 50% are living in denial lol. So there isn’t a soul out here that has any license to pain and suffering. Nobody is The Judge. I don’t care how bad our lives have been: NONE OF US HAS A COPYRIGHT CLAIM TO LIFE, THEREFORE WE ARE ENTITLED TO ITS EMOTIONS. Let It Flow!
With that being said, dear readers–dear writers–dear fellow sufferers–dear fellow humans–dear kindred spirits–dear children, Write On! Be who you must be and get out of the darkness. You might have to wear shades for a while, but your soul will get used to the light. Notice I did not say everything is going to become rosy and cheerful and all better once you simply start practicing this. But, on the other hand, you will be surprised at what transpires within you and around these hallowed halls of words.
My simple point is just do it. Be who you need to be. Speak all of your truth! Aspire to what you want to become, and become it. We only have one life, and it’s gone in a blink of an eye. Do you really want to be second guessing what you are presenting and who you should be presenting to? I thought not…
My favorite poet, John Keats said it best:
Or this one by Dickinson:
I died for Beauty–but was scarce
Adjusted in the Tomb
When One who died for Truth, was lain
In an adjoining Room–
He questioned softly “Why I failed”?
“For Beauty”, I replied–
“And I–for Truth–Themself are One–
We Brethren, are”, He said–
And so, as Kinsmen, met a Night–
We talked between the Rooms–
Until the Moss had reached our lips–
And covered up–our names–
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Outstanding thank you that was a fabulous comment
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BRAVO!!! I love it!
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Thank you! Coming from someone who doesn’t like blogs that are all sugary I’m taking your praise as the highest. Btw, my disclaimer I swear was directly writtenbbecause of what you’ve said about sites that have the all better now crap. YOU do affect me in many sometimes untold ways
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Thank you. Some days I need to know that, not for my ego, but so I can keep going.
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Absolutely inspiring, robert! You’re awesome. ❤️
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Thanks phoebe. Turned another corner maybe?
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You never cease to amaze me! Well spoken! Very insightful!
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This is SO important-how dare people try to perpetuate the cycle of shame. A huge contributing factor of PTSD is not talking about it. Keeping silent about trauma keeps you from storing it properly in your brain. For real.
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And you are a shining example of putting it out there in all your beauty and grace and truth. You inspire me greatly!
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people have definitely tried to shut me up before, too. it took me along time to overcome that. people can be horrible. the not horribles really have to stick together.
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Lol indeed we do. Not horribles, you are so cute
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Rock your incandescence Rob! Loving this. I told you demon slaying might be on the to-do list! You are clearly up for the challenge.
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You’re the best. Love thatvword, incandescence. See, you all do inspire me
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Its nice to know that all my babbling does not go to waste and that occasionally some cryptic wisdom emerges. Your writing has been fire the last couple days sir. So glad you put the blog back up. We need you.
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That’s so kind. I’ve turned another corner or so It seems since I purged myself of the dark lady
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Excellent.
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You are right to write, it is a good therapy. And if among your readers some are not happy and well “They have only to change chain”. I am French and I am for freedom of expression, I am “Charlie”
You have my full support. Good luck to you ! 🙂
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Thank you so much. I’m French too! But I can’t speak it🤔
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okay 🙂
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Beautifully said! Much appreciated! What a void there would be without you, too, on here! ❤
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So sweet of you to say!
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Nothing but truth. I read that somewhere… 😛
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Court? Lol
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HAHAHA oh my gosh, that made me really laugh…did not see that coming.
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I cannot that sometimes haha
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I meant can. I hate autocorrect well I should probably read before I send huh?
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PS sorry for the yelling laugh…my phone’s quirky, the caps lock gets stuck and I’m doing all this yelling I don’t mean lol
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Loved It
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Wow…can you write inspirational stuff! I am keeping this one to read over again. Posting your photo with a poem. Writing love poems is a challenge for me because I never want to dehumanize, because of past experiences…so here goes.
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Do it up!
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Posted it…first step.
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I agree. Mostly, the power of words is pretty much all we have.
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