Pain
One Step Closer: Rising from the Ashes of a Tumultuous Relationship
At 32, I entered one of the worst relationships I have ever been in. The man was manipulative and yet a smooth-talking charmer. He was younger than me by four years, which is not much but still enough to boost my ego. His blue eyes and sweet boy-next-door looks swept me off my feet. Read the rest of this entry »
The Tragic Death of Chris Cornell: Depression’s Toxic Bedfellow…Suicide
Chris Cornell’s death will stand to be one of the saddest moments in rock history as yet another infinitely talented artists is no longer of this world. It is one of the most profound recent tragedies next to the loss of Prince, at least for me.
He was gifted with one of the better rock voices in the modern era of grunge and alternative rock. Cornell was blessed with raw talent that made him a Rock God, one that aspiring as well as successful musicians idolized. And to pair up his throttled, husky voice, Chris had the perfect looks to be the front man for Soundgarden and Audioslave. The man with a 4-octave vocal range was also lead songwriter, guitarist, and drummer. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Let A Temporary Event Become A Permanent Label
There are temporary situations, uncomfortable and frustrating, but they are temporary, nonetheless. I think we can all be too reactive and impatient; we want immediate results when it comes to anything and everything. But, mostly, we don’t want to hurt. Read the rest of this entry »
Transformed by Despair
Everyone, even the likes of Tony Robbins and Eckhart Tolle, has a bad day. And if you’re one of the few who swears you’ve never experienced dark times, I question if you are human. Some can use spiritual or Zen rhetoric to pontificate that there is no such thing as “bad,” that it’s simply perception. But if you were to strip out the spiritual jargon, a bad day is a bad day.
This is especially if it’s not only bad but you’ve reached your lowest point. You’ve hit rock bottom. Taken from 16th-century Spanish poet, Saint John of the Cross and his famous Noche obscura del alma. Translated into English it means The Dark Night of the Soul. Tolle and others have used the poem’s title to describe a moment in their lives when the feeling of utter despair became all-consuming. Read the rest of this entry »
The Power of Pain
We’re never quite ready for what we’re about to face in life when it involves two ingredients: unpredictability and pain. I’m one of those who thrive off of solid plans; I work best with some sort of structure, and knowing where I stand makes me feel secure. If you asked me, surprises are overrated. I’m not big on them.
However, I don’t care if you claim to be the world’s leading psychic — no one can completely be prepared for tragedy to strike. As I described in my last post, an unexpected tragedy struck one woman whose life would be forever altered. On Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, 26 year-old Claudia Salley drove her husband and her four-month-old son Levi westbound on Interstate 20 in Shreveport, Louisiana. While Claudia slowed her family’s white Lincoln due to road construction, the 18-wheeler behind her didn’t. Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 