Tag: 31DBBB

I have a lot of ideas

~ Christi ~ 1 Comment

As part of Yeah Write’s 31 Days to a Better Blog series this month, I did a little free writing this week. I learned that I have a ton of ideas. Ideas are literally pouring out of my mind faster than I can remember to write them down. I filled a page of my journal in about ten minutes, and that’s just the beginning.

Here are the ten that I like the best, in no particular order:

1. Why we all should practice Opposite Day — let’s let our kids be in charge for one day of each week and see what happens.

2. Being a mom of three is a lot like living in a video game, trying to get everyone to the finish line at once without getting too distracted along the way.

3. Grandmothers are secret sources of strength for us women, and we usually align ourselves with them unconsciously.

4. How a friend’s death can dramatically affect your life.

5. The most romantic dinner I’ve ever had.

6. How I won over a boss who hated me (I think).

7. Why I tried to dump a friend and how I got her back.

8. I was once in a mom’s group with a bunch of gun-toters, and how I’m not always what I seem.

9. Why Chinese restaurants remind me that my Bubbie hated me.

10. All about my experiences with reiki massage, and where does that energy come from?

So, what would you most like to read about?

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I was crazy when I wrote this

~ Christi ~ 7 Comments

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Earlier this year, I had a weird experience. And I went (a little) crazy. I was diagnosed with hypomania, which on the spectrum of mental illnesses, is really not awful. It’s main symptoms are increased energy, motivation, and creativity. It’s almost funny, except that it’s not. I am terrified of mental illness, even the good kind.

Luckily, my husband, Geoff, noticed the changes in me almost immediately — most notably sleeping only three hours a night — and he insisted that I see a doctor. I did, and hopefully my hypomania will never develop into full-blown mania or bipolar disorder.

Going crazy, for me, felt like someone had laid a subway map over my mind. All of a sudden, I could see a ton of different connections without even trying. It was both cool and disconcerting. I started to make notes of things all the time. For a short time, I made the notes on Post-Its, until Geoff commented on how crazy that seemed. Then I bought a notebook. In my notebook, I made a list of advice for myself, which at the time felt somehow essential. I felt that if I did not write these things down, I might actually forget them. Looking back at this list, it seems obvious yet a little strange to me. What do you think?

1. Start out small.

2. Get a nickname. Get many names; use them all, but only be you.

3. Read.

4. Know yourself. Learn to trust when you are right.

5. First, become whole. Accept yourself. Then divide and piece yourself back together.

6. Do what you need to do.

7. Try.

8. Answer your own questions.

9. Never be afraid to be wrong. If you are wrong, admit it.

10. Don’t close your mind.

11. Love.

12. Forgive yourself for what you regret. Redeem yourself by doing the opposite.

There you go. I can’t say whether I recommend taking my advice or laughing about it. I was crazy when I wrote it, after all.

I’m building a better blog this month over at Yeah Write. Come check it out!

The elevator pitch

~ Christi ~ 19 Comments

I have a sick need for critique. I inherited it from my mom, along with her diamond earrings. That lady gave it to me straight. And I haven’t found anyone else who is that genuinely critical since she died. Bad haircut? She’d tell me. Pants that looked cheap? She didn’t spare my feelings.

I’ve been without an editor for six years now. I’m doing okay, but life is boring. I need to change it up. I want to tell you my stories, the secret ones. The ones that have been simmering and growing into their own. I want to tune into my private radio station and retrieve those old tales, and I want you, dear reader, to listen. I want you to critique. Tell me what I need to add, take away. I’m baring myself to you and I’m asking you to take your best shot. Trust me, it will feel like love to me.

Let’s do something interesting together.

Written for Yeah Write’s 31 Days to a Better Blog.