When I started blogging, my goal was to be disciplined enough to write one years worth, 52 weeks, of blogs on surviving. I jump in and out of my own sexual abuse survival experiences; while trying to find something that is humorous or will interest you the next. What was I hoping to gain through this process? I had many initial thoughts, but now I think it was my voice, and while I was finding my voice, so were millions of women in the “Me Too” movement across the United States and even other parts of the world.
The “Me Too” movement is part of a pendulum motion that has left some men afraid of flirting, not knowing exactly where the boundaries are, afraid of missing a cue and adding to the unsureness of their place. Rest assured the pendulum will swing back into a place that most of us will find comfort…we will have found our voices…hopefully people will listen to them and if they don’t we can only get louder. The movement is important, as uncomfortable as we sometimes feel dealing with it. My blog has made people uncomfortable too. My sense of knowing it was right comes from you who read it. I have men and women read it; people from many different countries (Australia, China, Philippines, Spain, Germany, South Africa etc. ) have read it and that is exciting to me, not because those people make me think differently about my purpose of writing, but because I know we are the same..what matters to us is the same. When we get past the rhetoric and fear, we are more similar than not, regardless of color, religion, sexual orientation etc.
I have 8 weeks left to write; to share my thoughts and continue to finesse my voice. I’m going to stay honest and keep myself vulnerable. When I’m done with my blog, I may continue to blog periodically but won’t post on Facebook. If you are interested after that point, you can “follow” the post, which means whenever I write something, it will show up in your e-mail box, like a bad penny. 🙂 I have several book ideas roaming around in my head. I started one years ago, but lacked the discipline, and to be fair, the time to finish it. My priority first will be to write about my mother’s death.
When Mom was given the sentence of Lung Cancer; it happened so fast we were unprepared. That’s how cancer works; it snaps up with no apparent provocation and slams the victim into the wall with its severity and the fear it so generously provides. I don’t believe anyone can be prepared for it. It also is a horrifying experience for the family. I’m not going to say in any uncertain terms that when you are fighting for your life and fearful of losing it, that your families feelings are as important…….or are they? They would be to me, but as my husband tells me, “You don’t know until you experience it.” The hospice pamphlet we were provided with was helpful, but it didn’t help any of us prepare for what was coming, until the dying process that occurred at the very end.
I hate very little and very few. I don’t want to give my power and energy away to anyone, or anything that doesn’t deserve it, but I have a strong feeling about cancer, and my way to work through that feeling is to give it a voice. I hope you will continue my journey of survival with me the next few weeks. If you are willing to personal message me any insight or thoughts you might have, please feel free to send them to me. If you have a favorite blog of mine, feel free to share it, or PM me and let me know. We have been in partnership the last year and I hope it has meant a fraction to you, what it has meant to me..
Peace…..
Loving and Surviving 