And that is still sometimes hard for me — Last year, there was one kid in my daughter’s class who didn’t have siblings. Mine. I don’t think the teacher realized this. But when they would talk about playing or home life, they often talked about their brothers and sisters. My kid would come home and ask when she would…

They didn’t match the drama I expected — Chalk another thing up to misrepresentation in media. In TV shows and movies when someone has a panic attack it’s a big deal. They clutch their chest, fall to the ground, or are sure it’s a heart attack. They heave big, panicked breaths. They don’t curl into a ball and…

Gut instincts vs distorted thoughts. — One Nasty Thing About Depression Is That It Is Self-Perpetuating. That is, the symptoms are themselves a barrier to getting better. When you don’t have the self-confidence to advocate for yourself, you can’t get the medical help or accommodation support you need. When you wake up fatigued and your body is sore, you can’t get the exercise you need. When…

Neurodiversity and gender identity wrapped up in a sarcastic package. — My absolute favourite series of the last few years is The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. It is made up of several novellas and a recent novel, Network Effect. Turns out, I am far from alone. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who does not like this book or series. …

If you’re living with depression, burnout, chronic illness, or something similar you will regularly have to face the reality of not being able to do all the Things*. In fact, you might be able to do very few Things some days and no amount of willpower, desire, or beating yourself…

All are under 200 pages long Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, 112 pages A magical forest by the name of Greenhollow is home to a mysterious guardian named Tobias or, as the locals call him, The Wild Man of the woods. The delicate balance of Tobias’s life is suddenly upset when the old house on the estate…

A poem/thought. — Just a reminder that tidiness is unnatural You are not meant to (always) be in control If you don't sweep birds come for the seeds If you don't weed you get more bees Let flowers die you get more in the spring Be careful where you exert your will You know…

You may have heard this story before — It took a major breakdown for me to face up to the fact that the roles I played were not sustainable. You can read all about it because I wrote about some of it here. How to Have a Breakdown I mean “How to” in two waysmedium.com Autistics call these carefully but unconsciously created behaviours ‘masking’. They are coping mechanisms that are…

Dysfunctional family fun, Levy and O’Hara magic, and open, honest pride. — I am reluctant to admit that I was not an early adopter of Schitt’s Creek. Based on the promos I saw, I didn’t think I would like it. Even though I had family urging me to watch it, I didn’t. Not until it was starting to blow up in 2020…