WHAT THE HELL, Atlanta Police Department??

I am disappointed, to say the least, in the actions of the Atlanta Police Department in their blatant dismissal of the rape a woman in Atlanta experienced. I have included the link to her Facebook post, where she can tell her painful experience.

This woman is a warrior. She is strong and courageous and self sacrificing to allow her pain and violation to be told and shared and retold simply for the sake of having the man who violated her, who violently raped her, who forced his actions upon her with zero consent from her, brought to justice.

Do better, Atlanta Police Department.

DO BETTER. BELIEVE HER. ARREST HIM. PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

It’s been a while..

God I don’t even know where to start. The past six months have been the hardest but most revealing I think I’ve ever experienced. I quite literally uprooted everything that I had known for 17 years and started over. A clean slate yes but holy fucking terrifying. I took a risk with the unknown in hopes of saving myself from completely losing all. Left the complacently behind. It was a gamble but it paid off.  

Freed myself from the so called drama, torment and anguish that I bared for so many years. And now I will never look back. This time, this abrupt change of course has given me the gift of reaching deep down and going through it all. My grandmother said you always have to bleed before you heal. And by god I have. Every moment, every single damn thing that has lead me here has been revisited, dealt with and will be resolved in some fashion. 

So many mistakes and misdirections. Things that can’t be taken back nor corrected. Those that I care for the most hurt in my perpetual downward spiral. These months have made me look at life quite differently. The person I am. How I subconsciously held onto the past and how it negatively impacted my everyday life. Causing me to be selfish, apprehensive and negative.  

Pushing away anyone that dared to attempt to break down the carefully constructed walls around my heart and soul. To know the real me. See the vulnerable, tormented and complicated person I am. So I instead released hurt and disdain upon them instead even though all that they were trying to do is help. For fear of yet another trampling upon my already battered and tattered self. 

Was I wrong yes. You have to bleed before you heal, and that itself is messy and ugly.  But you also have to ask for forgiveness in that onslaught as that wise woman said. Some will forgive. Some will not. Most important is that you realize your own wrong doings and repent. Fix and make right those transgressions. Learn from the mistakes and mishaps. Become a better person. 

And that is where I am. Knowing I survived the storm, asking for forgiveness and bringing anew; with my sight on the present and future. Never again to look behind to the past. 

~Snarky

They’re Not Ours, Are They?

They are not ours, are they? So why should we care?

Watch them, huddled together, tear stained cheeks and reddened eyes full of fear and pain…but then you think, they aren’t ours, are they?

Feel their fear, their worry, their sadness. See them look around frantically for their parents, wondering who will care for them now. But again, that thought: they aren’t ours, are they?

Stand aside and whisper to your friends, “If they only had come here legally…” because they aren’t ours, are they?

Sit at your table and look at your children and smile, secure in the fact that you are safe, they are safe. Go to your churches and worship at the altar of peace and brotherly love, then cast your eyes askance at those who are different, foreign… silent judgement on your lips and heart. They aren’t like me. If only they had come here legally…..

” Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. ” What ever happened to brotherly love? What ever happened to helping those who can’t help themselves? What ever happened to compassion?

It has been lost….lost to nationalist rhetoric, to unnecessary pride, to hate, to ego. It has been lost….and the righteous fight to regain all that has been lost has only just begun.

The Consistency of Change

The only thing that is constant in this universe is change. The land changes-becoming more or less populated (generally more). People change-growing and evolving emotionally and physically as they age and gain more life experience (one hopes). Governments and laws change.

Change change change. Everything is always changing.

For those of us who dislike change, where the consistency of change brings discomfort and a sense of unbalance, this is not always a good thing. However change is never ending, forcing us to adapt-however best we can-to the different circumstances in our lives.

My life has changed a lot in the past year. Two of my children decided to go live with their dad and stepmom. While it pains me to no end to have them there, I realize and understand this change is necessary. For them, for their lives, for their wellbeing. They needed to experience life on the other side, so to speak. To live with the parent that they had not grown up with in a household (we divorced when our kids were very young) that is different than their regular “norm”. There are hiccups here and there, as there are with anything that is new and different, but they are hiccups that they are learning to navigate through by learning how to interact in different ways with their dad and stepmom (who is a fabulous woman, btw-I like her quite a bit and could not have picked a better partner for my ex and a better stepmom for my kids). So far, they are doing well. So far. And I can only hope they continue to do well. My youngest is adapting well to being the only child during the week at our home with me and her stepdad. She enjoys it, I think, a little more than she should.

My husband and I are growing in our relationship and while growing pains are hard to deal with and can be somewhat painful at times, we are continuing to grow together. I am learning more about myself as his wife and what I am and am not willing to let go and he is doing the same…I mean…it’s only been three years since we got married. It’s about time for that, right? And I love him. I love him with a fierceness I didn’t know I could have for someone not of my blood, not of my womb. I love him despite our roller coaster of emotions that we experience (being that we are both bipolar, it makes form some rocky moments). I love him despite him not knowing the right things to say or do. I love him despite his rough edged rawness that can cause friction in our relationship. I love his heart. And I love the way he looks at me when he thinks I don’t see him watching me. His eyes get warm and tender and they crinkle at the corners when he smiles.

And without change, none of these things would be possible. As change creates emotions, opportunities, situations, and circumstances that forces us to deal with life in front of us. It forces us to react, to respond, to take action-even if our action is non-action, change is still happening.

So embrace change. Embrace the ever-evolving experience of life and all that comes with it. Grow into who you are supposed to be and love the changes that come with it.

~The Grey

It’s Been a Helluva Year, Yeah?

Grey here.

It’s been a hell of a year. I had to take a break from writing. I had to take a break from creating anything new because my head space was so all over the place, I could barely think. It’s been an up and down year. Lots of downs…more so than ups…but such is life, eh?

In this past year, so much has happened. My work life has changed drastically. So, my responsibilities have grown, which is great, but I am trying to figure out my place within all of these changes. It is hard to stay confident in your position when the changes directly affect your life and it’s not always in a positive manner. The learning curve is steep and I am hoping this is not a pass/fail situation.

My home life has changed. Two children have decided that living with their dad is something they want to try. I cannot even begin to explain how hard it is to let go of your children, knowing it is for them that you let them go and grow into whomever they are supposed to be…even if it is with the other parent and not yourself. I love my children with all that I have and, even though it is slightly killing me, I am trying to be as supportive as I can with this new arrangement. It still sucks. So no wit is just me and my husband and my youngest at my house for the most part. It is quieter…but I don’t always like that much quiet.

This past year, politically, has been so hard to handle. I am *not* a fan of 45. I was never a fan even before he ran for POTUS…but now I detest him…nay, I abhor him. His actions, his way of thought, his inability to see his own small mindedness and the ridiculous amount of support he has is simply mind boggling. And with all of the immigration issues to come up, along with seeing all of the new pre-existing conditions that will not be covered under the American Healthcare Act leads me to believe that unless you have a clean bill of health since birth, you are doomed to illness and possible death under this new act. Because Goddess forbid they cover diabetes, epilepsy, CEREBRAL PALSY THAT IS  THERE FROM BIRTH TRAUMA…because WHO in their right mind would want to cover those?? Ridiculous. Needless to say I am disappointed in my government. And yes, I call my reps, I write them, I voice my opinions, I research them, etc…but it never seems to be good enough.

It is really hard to remain positive when it feels like the country is crashing down around your ears, ya know? I have ended friendships over the state of the US. I have basically been told by a family member to “have a coke and a smile and shut the fuck up” when it comes to defending my political beliefs and baking up my beliefs with evidence. She promptly unfriended and blocked me. She isn’t the first family member to do that. Well, she is the first to tell me to have a coke and … (as she put it). But she isn’t the first to end a superficial facebook relationship over political views. And I wish I could be sad about it…but I’m not. I have no time for superficial relationships with people who have no issue arguing with me over something but never have any credible evidence to back up their arguments and who would rather delete me out of their digital lives than face facts. I mean, other than that…life is peachy.

It Hurts…

How I wish I knew who wrote the passage below. I found it a few months ago, not sure where exactly but I copied it to my notes to reread later. Going back to research it now, it appears all over the place on the web. Blogs, articles, etc. etc. This woman (I do assume a woman) who penned this I feel must have opened my mind and put in words exactly who I am. And I thank her.

I am at a quandary at this moment. I have fallen hopelessly in love with someone who I have now come to realize can never, in their own words “reach the level that I am at”. And it hurts…God it hurts. I don’t think in all my earthly years of existence has something shaken me, broken me, and devastated me so. The most painful part about it though is not that he doesn’t reciprocate what has welled up so immensely in my heart but the decision that I am putting into motion which will likely lead to the loss of who has become my best friend. Yes I have best friends but he is different, so different.

He has questioned my feelings, pointing out that possibly I feel this way because I have never had someone treat me as he has. Asks me if I have thought about this, had a heart to heart with my soul. It honestly infuriates me as I have had this conversation with myself time and time again over the past year. And no, no that is not why I love him. I love him, plain and simple. I love him for him as I wrote months ago. I know how I feel. I have only told two other men in my life those precious words. I don’t throw them around lightly.

He is my soul mate and I knew it the day that I met him. That one person that completes that missing piece of my soul that I have wandered this earth lost and in search of. I know people say you don’t know these things right away and it takes time but I am telling you something happened in my soul the day he walked in my life. Some strange force within me that I have never, ever felt before. Call me crazy, there really aren’t words to explain it.

I am terrified of losing him but I don’t see another way except to end things. There is no going back, no salvaging what was before as I cannot forget, turn off what I feel. I knew what I was getting into. I knew that he was incapable of loving someone whole heartedly and without hesitation. I knew that nothing would change him and honestly I never would want to change him. And I allowed myself to fall, to be vulnerable, to love, and to feel again after being numb for so long.

I know that I am difficult. I know that I am emotionally detached. I know that I have a hard time communicating how I feel but damnit I have tried. I have learned and slowly I am getting better at it. This whole time I have fought the instinct to run. Run to avoid the  hurt that I always know lurks ahead. To protect my heart that I kept so tightly bound. And here I sit now in that dark, heartbroken place that I have spent a lifetime trying to circumvent.

–SnarkyCoppertop

The Woman Who Has Been To Hell And Back Is Not Easy To Love.

Many have tried. Most have failed.

The weak need not attempt, for it will take more strength than you even know you possess; more patience, more resilience, more tenacity, more resolve. It requires a relentless love, one that is determined and not easily defeated.

For the woman who has been to hell and back will push you away. She will test you in her desire to know what you are made of, whether you have what it takes to weather her storm. Because she is unpredictable—at times a hurricane, a force of nature that rides on the fury of her suffering; other times a gentle rain, calm, still and quiet.

When she is the gentle rain that falls in time to her silent tears, love her.

When she is the thunder and lightning and ferocious winds that wreak havoc, love her harder.

She is a contradiction, a pendulum that will forever swing between fear of suffocation and fear of abandonment, and even she will not know how to find the balance between the two. Because today, although she will never tell you, she will feel insecure. She will want you to stay close, to tuck her hair behind her ear and kiss her on her forehead and hold her in the strength of your arms. But tomorrow she will crave her independence, her space, her solitude.

For while you have slept, she has been awake, unable to slow her thoughts, watching clocks and chasing time, trying to make the broken pieces fit, to make sense of it all—of where and how she fits. She fights her demons and slays her dragons, afraid if she goes to sleep they will gain the upper hand, afraid if she goes to sleep she will no longer be in control. Tomorrow she will be tired, and your presence will smother her. She will need only herself.

When she reaches out to you, love her.

When she pushes you away, love her harder.

New situations and places and people and experiences will make her anxious. She will be fiercely independent and long to overcome her fears, all the while as terrified as a small child alone in the big world. Sometimes she will need to be courageous, to prove to herself she has what it takes. Other times she will need you to take her hand and hold it firmly in yours. Sometimes she may not know what she needs, and you will need to read her like a book with worn pages and a tattered spine and be what she needs when she does not know herself.

When she is brave and steps into the world on her own, love her.

When she is scared, but refuses to take your hand, love her harder.

She will live in fear of not being enough and always being too much—an endless battle to find the middle ground. Ashamed if the scale falls one way or the other, ashamed to be herself for no one has ever loved her both when she is small and also when she is tremendous.

When she feels too much, love her.

When she feels not enough, love her harder.

Sometimes she won’t hurt and the light will shine from her eyes and her laughter will be a rare and precious melody. But sometimes she will hurt so much from the trauma still in her body; she will ache, she will feel pain and anguish. The light will grow dim and the music will fade.

When she is the light, love her.

When she is the darkness, love her harder.

She will always love you with caution, with one foot out the door. For she does not understand a love with no conditions, one that is powerful enough to withstand hard times. She cannot allow herself to fully trust in your love, and she will keep parts of her heart hidden—the parts that have been hurt the most, the parts she can’t risk being hurt again when she has worked so hard to stitch them together.

She will always watch, wait and expect you to leave first. And when you don’t, she has a truth written upon her heart that says you will—it’s only a matter of time, for everyone who loves her leaves her. And so she will seek to sabotage the relationship; she will seek to destroy it, she will seek to leave first, she will seek to hurt you before you can hurt her. This is how she stays in control, this is how she survives, how she will ensure she will not get hurt again.

When she wants to love you, love her.

When she wants to hurt you, love her harder.

Being out of control terrifies her. Don’t ever make her feel powerless, trapped or without her freedom. She needs to dance barefoot under enormous blue skies, to feel sand between her toes, to run with wolves as the wind weaves magic through her hair, for here is where her healing is found. Never clip her wings, for if she has the freedom to fly, she will always come back to you.

Love her when it’s easy, and love her harder when it’s not.

Love her in a way that will defy all she has ever known love to be.

Love her because you understand with every fiber of your soul the gift of her love, what it has cost her to offer you her fragile heart.

She does not need you. She has chosen you.

Because you have what it takes to survive the storm.

Because even when she doesn’t know how to love, you know how to love harder.

–Anonymous

 

When the Walls Come Down

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My soul has wandered this earth in search of a kindred spirit that would stir, move, and reawaken it; with passion, desire, hope and faith. On an endless journey to find the one who would inspire me, ignite me, shake me to my core. The person that possesses the little piece of my heart, body, and soul that has been missing thus far. Settle my tumultuous heart and bring a peaceful calm to my tormented mind.

I want to love without fear and to be loved without doubt. Trust without hesitation and give my whole self to someone. I thought I had found that in the past only to realize I had not for one reason or another. Not that I didn’t so to say love these people but they did not truly complete my mind, body, and soul.

And quite unexpectedly I have stumbled upon that soul, kindred spirit. He has been right in front of me for years and I have ignored it, denied it. Doubted the initial feelings that welled up the moment he walked into my life and suppressed them with all my might. That connection that threw me because at the time it was not the right moment. But here I sit in what seems to be that “right moment”.

Now I have never been one to cuddle or show much affection. But now it’s all I want when he’s near. I want to fall asleep tangled in his embrace and wake up in his arms. The subtle touches that send shivers through my body. The sweet, soft kiss on my lips when we say goodbye that makes me smile throughout the rest of the day. The butterflies in my stomach when he approaches still after these many months.

It’s not just the physical though. He gets me, more so than most. The strange quirks, silliness, relentless snark, my gypsy soul, and the “oh look shiny moments”. Talk about randomness, seriousness, or sit in perfect silence all the same. Makes me laugh, genuinely smile, and truly feel happy. The little, thoughtful things he does that show he really does know the true me.

Seen me at my best and been there for the darkest. Shown me it’s okay to let go of my stubbornness, independence, and pride; allowing for someone to help, to take care of me for once. Helped me realize and recognize more about myself than I had ever known as I have always focused my energy on everyone else around me.

He has slowly, methodically removed those bricks, one by one, from that reinforced wall I constructed. And I am absolutely terrified. Afraid to admit to myself or to him for the matter what I am feeling, thinking. Fearful that he or myself will run. Mostly me though. I don’t want to hurt again and that flight instinct is overwhelmingly present. The doubt running through my head that what I am feeling is not reciprocated. Not wanting to endure that pain and torture to my heart once again.

While visiting with my therapist recently she said to me “do not sabotage this one, let it happen. If it doesn’t happen, doesn’t come to fruition, don’t let that discourage you. You have come so far. Allowed someone to get close. Let those walls down around your heart, trusting enough to bare your soul, show those vulnerabilities that were so tightly guarded. To now turn around, disengage, and put them back up again would be devastating for your emotional wellbeing.”

So as much as I do want to shut down in fear and run for my life, I will plant my feet firmly for the time being….see what unfolds. Let the universe guide my course and let go of that hesitation, that fear. And in the end even if it does not work out at least this girl who thought she couldn’t love or be loved now sees the fallacy in her self perception.

Snarky Coppertop

 

My Brain Hurts So Look At this Pretty Picture Instead.

I have been on a writing hiatus. I had to take some time to let my brain readjust to a lot of stuff going on in my personal life as well as to what has been going on in this country. My brain…it hurts. I have so much that I want to say. I have so much that I carry strong opinions on but finding the right words to perfectly convey my thoughts an feelings has proven to be a difficult task in these often tumultuous times. So. Instead I am going to post a picture of something pretty. Because I need some beauty to help combat all of this ugliness I see and I thought I would share that beauty with you.

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My Favorite Place to Go

I love the mountains. I feel the pull to return to them almost daily. Seeing this picture reminds me of how peaceful I feel when I am in the mountains and gives me something to look forward to when I do finally return.

We Got a Puppy…

Life has changed.

I wake up before 6 am now. I am hyper-vigilant about her food. Her walks. How and where and when she goes to the bathroom. I feel as though I have a newborn again…only this time there is fur, tiny nails, and sharp baby teeth she likes to try out on my shins and ankles and toes and every other thing she can try them out on. But she is sweet. And pretty. And so very smart! She is almost 10 weeks old and she is obeying the sit command 95% of the time. She is staying mostly accident free at night. We are crate-training her and when she is tired or wants some space, she hangs out in her kennel.  So it is her happy, safe space with was one of my goals for crate training.

But do you know who we got the puppy for originally? My two daughters, with my middle one specifically in mind since she was the one begging for this dog. But now she is not as involved, gets more frustrated, and generally wants to leave the care of said puppy to her little sister and me. And guess who is “Mommy” to the new puppy?

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Me. Yep. My girls are doing to me what my sister and I did to my mother when we were teenagers. (I am SO sorry, Mom. I get it now. I really, really do.)We begged for a puppy, got one, and then he became my mother’s closest companion because she was the authoritative one. The firm one. The one who he listened to all of the time because she showed him the best and most consistency. Even as an adult dog, Harley (that was his name) would generally ignore everyone else for my mother’s commands.

So, this new puppy-while they may say she is theirs-does not actually belong to my daughters. She is my puppy. A puppy they help take care of during the day when I am at work and they are on summer vacation. That is pretty much it.

Delilah, the new puppy, is 9 weeks old on Wednesday. She is getting taller. You can see how her legs are growing into the long, awkwardly coltish legs of a large dog who has yet to be so large. On those legs are hunormous paws. She is going to be a big dog. Oh. Her breed is a pitbull/husky mix ( A “Pitsky”). Her paws are webbed, so I want to try her out swimming. And we went on a run this morning which she loved. So, daily morning runs shall be our thing now. She is a pretty brindle color and her fur is soft but not too thick. Her ears stick up all on their own an her eyes are blue on the left and brown on the right. She always has a doggy grin and I do love her kiss-nibbles (when she goes in for a smooch then nibbles with her front teeth while smooching). I love this dog. Wanna see her??

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The 4th night she was home with us.

This is Delilah Rose. She is already spoiled rotten. I love this dog, y’all. LOVE. HER. Her little personality is so sweet and I can tell she really wants to please in general and she tries so hard to listen but she just gets so excited!

 

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Sleeping by my bed.

She wants to sleep in her mama’s room. And she is so trusting that she shows her tum when she sleeps all the time.

 

 

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While I am working at our satellite office, she snoozes the day away under my desk.

Obviously nap time the only time I can get a still photo of her as she is always moving. She loves to play. As evidenced by the action play shot below. Yes, that is a cat toy she is playing with and she loves it!

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But her little face is the sweetest face and kissing her nose is one of my new favorite activities. I won’t ever get tired of it. 20170718_130442

So, this is my new puppy. Even if my daughters call her theirs, I think we all know that she really belongs to me.

~The Grey

“In Order to Succeed in Our Future, We Must Learn to Forgive Our Past” – Coelho

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The death of a person is an emotional and thought provoking experience. My father passed a few months ago. Not the wonderful man whom I wholeheartedly and lovingly call dad now but the man who brought me into this worldly existence. We had not spoken in eighteen years for reasons to be left unsaid. I have rode one heck of an emotional rollercoaster these past few months.

But I also have spent a lot of time thinking. About myself. I realized that I have been carrying around in my heart an awful, enormous amount of hate, anger and hurt. Things that a person should not have to bare on their heart, in their mind…for such a length of time. I recognize now how deeply it affected me emotionally and mentally.

All those past relationships whether friendship or romantic that were lost due to the turmoil in my heart and soul. The emotional disengagement that I suffer through. My lack of trust, the fear of being hurt, and how tightly I closed off my heart had caused these people to walk out of my life.

That late February day in Texas, standing in the cold hospital room where the sense of impending death loomed, I learned a very valuable lesson. One that I will never forget. Forgiveness. It is one mighty powerful thing that all struggle with. Something that until then I myself did not think I was capable of, if ever, regarding this particular situation. I forgave.

Not for him but for me. It was the most liberating and profound experience. As I stood by his bedside with the quiet hum of the machines keeping him alive; I was able to let go of that anger, hate and hurt with uttering three simple words….. I forgive you. Followed shortly, through the tears streaming down my face, by… even though you never said you were sorry.

Nothing more nothing less. All that I had to speak out loud, come to peace, and truly mean it with every fiber of my being. It has freed my heart, my soul. I have let go of it all and surprisingly I feel better than I have in many years. That chapter in my life is closed for good. I am sad for his passing as anyone’s death is tragic.

But he left me with the parting gift of the unbinding my heart; giving me the ability to trust, love, and be whole once again.

~Snarky Coppertop