Category: Emotional Health
Losing Myself to Body Shaming
My body is mine, yet everyone is so judgmental about it. But the real judge is me. I’m surrounded by people who care so much about their looks and having the perfect body that it is starting to rub off on me. I used to feel so confident in my Read more
Uncertainty, Certainly
Nothing. I know not one thing to be certain. Not one fucking thing rings true except the stories I share, and they are only my limited perception. – Jaqueline Cioffa Time is the mystery, the teaser, and the uncertain 4th dimension that cuts the heart muscle and bleeds blue. Red Read more
Emotional Odyssey at the Department of Motor Vehicles
I always see at least one handsome man at the DMV. It’s never one of the workers (bitter civil servants who never give you adequate time to prepare for that little picture they take of you because it is the one joy they have left) but some other poor, unfortunate Read more
Women With Wings
During my routine OB appointment, my doctor mentioned that my nipple “looked a little funny.” I had noticed that too. She was fairly certain it was eczema but wondered aloud if I might be willing to have a dermatologist check it. As I had a mole on my neck I Read more
Leaving My Ex Sparked Decades of Unintended Consequences
“My name is Precious, how can I help you?” “I think I need to go to your shelter,” I blurted. My daughters, still both in diapers, were wailing in the background. The battered women’s shelter. Never had I thought I would be a battered woman, or that I would live Read more
Shameless Confessions of the Anhedonic Housewife
I. Slowly biting the corner of her lower lip Running her fingers through her long, brown hair She walked across the darkened hotel room Wearing nothing but the goosebumps and glistening beads of sweat covering every inch of her soft skin. The film of last night runs through her mind Read more