Life Through Writing

Let's talk about self image. Self image obviously means something different to different people, and perhaps that seems a bit silly to point out, but it's true. One of the things that my family consistently brings up is that I should try harder to understand that not everyone views the world like I do. And I do. I really truly do. And I am a deeply empathetic person, to the point where I feel like an emotional sponge. I just soak up the excess of other people's hurt, maybe it's because I want them to know that I'm there for them, or maybe it's because I don't want them to think that I'm being insensitive to what they're going through, or maybe it's just because that's just the way I am. I don't know. I just know that I continually put more on my plate than I can handle. My mum, who is a deeply wonderful person, is also an unapologetic perfectionist. And, growing up with that wasn't always easy. But please don't misunderstand, m...

Here's how I found out about the shooting in El Paso yesterday. My boyfriend texted me, and as I glanced at the message through the lock screen- I couldn't see the full thing. When I pulled the notification down, I saw that the rest of the message said 'back home', and back home meant El Paso. I didn't feel the heartbreak my boyfriend felt upon receiving the news. It was sad and awful, and I felt so bad for him and I wanted to do whatever I could to help, but a terrible, awful part of me was relieved that it wasn't in his city. That he was safe. And here's where the first problems stem. If it's not someone you know or love, then it's someone else's loved one. If someone you love is safe, that means that someone else was condemned to death. And that to me, is awful. Disgusting. Nobody should be dying. Nobody should be dying because they went to go buy their damned groceries. It is senseless, pointless, abhorrent crimes for nothing. It's hatre...