Life in Gestalt

High School, 7 Years Later

VITA BREVIS

It was one of the larger shocks of my life --- the kind that gets you nearly upended, in poise-less, anime`-fashion --- when my high school asked me to be the Commencement Speaker to this year’s graduating class. It wasn’t so much the prospect of making a speech before three hundred fifty 17-year-olds that bothered me. I think it was the fact that they thought I was old (wince, wince) enough that was twice upsetting.

High School, 7 Years Later

VITA BREVIS

It was one of the larger shocks of my life --- the kind that gets you nearly upended, in poise-less, anime`-fashion --- when my high school asked me to be the Commencement Speaker to this year’s graduating class. It wasn’t so much the prospect of making a speech before three hundred fifty 17-year-olds that bothered me. I think it was the fact that they thought I was old (wince, wince) enough that was twice upsetting.

The Hailey Life Support System (HLSS)

VITA BREVIS

People with pseudo-suicidal or truly suicidal intentions, stay away from Hailey.

Mothers are such queer lovable creatures. They handle depressed twenty three year olds pretty much like sad seven year olds: give them food, lots of hugs, reassure them that they're loved, take them shopping, make them sit through two-hour torture movies of Maids trying to get their way in Manhattan.

Hailey employs much of the same tactics, but with one distinctly advantageous addition: complete empathy with near perfect understanding. :) It's like talking to that small voice in your head reminding you what's right, WITHOUT the complications of all the other voices telling you everything else.

She's a lethal life support system. (AHEM) I can prove the oxymoron: She'll stand by you through devastatingly difficult life decisions which would be the death of you, and darn it, she'll even get you through them in one piece.

Apologies

VITA BREVIS

I miss the time when apologies were so simple.

When we were kids and skinned knees, bumped elbows, or hurt other kids’ feelings a “Sorry” was enough to get you back to where you were. I certainly don’t remember any kid who injured me so badly I hadn’t forgiven him or her. Even now, when I try to look back at kids I knew years ago, I have nothing but good memories. As to other kids I didn’t really know, I at least don’t have bad memories of them. Or maybe I just didn’t have memories.

Breathe

VITA BREVIS

When life has stopped at a really low point, there's nothing one can do except to keep breathing. In the words of a famous castaway, "tomorrow you don't know what the tide will bring."

The past two weeks have been nothing short of hell. And here I thought nothing could hurt worse than breaking up with someone you love.

Apparently there are worse things. And they're the sort that tear out your gut, and you wouldn't even know until you try to rage but find that you've lost your will to even try.