Post 241: Brain Pain

Sometimes I have a good laugh at myself, like when I think back to the other day, (actually it was several days in a row), when I told myself I didn’t need to verbally process anymore; that after 240 days of blogging, I was good to go; that everything had been cleared and cleaned out of my head.

I actually believed I was no longer troubled with thoughts and logical reasoning and cluttered ideas and inspiration and nonstop jibber-jabber of the brain. I was a housewife, a mother, a cleaner of all things grime and cooker of all things organic. I wasn’t this complex person requiring repetitive time of deep processing.

HA! I shout HA!

I actually thought I am entirely NT (neurotypical) and I’ve created all this Asperger’s mumbo-jumbo in my head. I actually thought and thought and thought…until I realized I was thinking an awful lot! So much so, that I likely had Aspergers.

And I got all twisted in my thoughts, again analyzing that perhaps I was trying on the persona of an Asperger’s person for size, actually inhaling and emulating Asperger’s traits because I needed an identity to function in life. That in truth, I was perfecting said Aspergers, as Aspergers was my new inspirational role.

Yes, I’d garbed the facade of an Aspie woman to the state of complete life-like amazement.

And if this be true, if in fact I was a woman convincing herself she had Aspergers, so she knew who to be and how to act (role) in order to function, was that insanity?

And what is insane? And who isn’t insane? Or more so, who is sane?

Then, after hamping (think of my thoughts as a mad, bad ass hamster on a wheel), I concluded, like I have done more than a trillion-dozen times throughout this blogging endeavor, that if indeed I was once again taking on the persona of Aspergers to feel safe in the world, as I need a role to feel safe, then indeed I had Aspergers. Brain Pain!

Hmmmmmm.

So last night, I’m thinking, at the late hour of eleven o’clock as I’m watching reruns of the show Glee, and getting all tingly like I get when I hear good music, that I ought not have coffee after the noon hour because then I can’t sleep and my thoughts speed up like Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.

Then I’m thinking, I relate way too much to characters on television, and how much more superb and brainiac-ish if I related to characters in books. But I don’t. So I’m stuck as a character on television.

So as I’m processing, basically alone, as the rest of the household is sound asleep, including Spastic Colon, aka: my labradoodle Violet, I’m starting to get stomach pangs of growing anxiety, dread, and fear. I’m telling myself it’s the dang coffee, as well as my binge into the wheat-zone. (I try to avoid gluten as it increases thoughts of impending doom….like dying of toe fungus or a nose pimple).

I keep reassuring myself all is okay. That much of what I’m experiencing is bio-chemical, while cursing to the star-fairies: Why do I have to be so fricken sensitive to everything on this planet! But the reassuring (and cursing) isn’t working, because the episode of Glee happens to be about the adorable school counselor having OCD and taking  medication to ease her symptoms.

And I get so tangled up on tiny-amounts-of-anger when I hear the overdone generic fallback, over used by psychiatrists (when speaking of medication) for over a decade now, that hums to the tune of: “If you had diabetes, you’d need insulin. This is no different.” And in my mind, I’m screaming, “Dang straight it’s different. Diabetes is proven and shown on blood tests. It’s in black and white. Plain as day. Mental challenges (issues, trouble, illness, etc.) are not that black and white. It’s not so simple!

And that got me thinking, do I need medication? My husband would shout an adamant NO, as the last time, some six years ago, I was on low dose anti-depressant I ended up with suicidal thoughts. My natural path doctor would concur, and advice continuing my strict diet of healthy eating and supplements/herbs.  But beyond that, what would other professionals think? And what are the professionals’ experiences? And how do they know what’s best for me? And who knows what’s best for me anyhow……  And all these thoughts spun off a minute-long section of a comedy/singing/drama show I’m watching on the boob-tube.

At this point I’m exhausted, but too awake to sleep.

Next came the wave of panic that ensued after I opened an envelope—an envelope from the university I attended for one semester when I was stuck on working towards a second master’s degree; until I was humiliated and discriminated against by the professor(s), and high-tailed it out of the university on my own therapist’s advice, and my inability to stop my crying and my trembling-fear of returning.

Months later, in reflection, I realized, if the terror at the college hadn’t occurred, likely this blog would not exist….so alas, I understand.

The panic I felt upon opening the envelope was energy related to the university.  The university had sent me another bill; a bill that is likely a mistake on their part; which means, once again, I’ll have to play phone tag to try to clear up the financial issue. And this sets me into coffee-plus-wheat induced terror state.

Impending thoughts:

1) What if they are right and I owe that money?

2) What if they are wrong but don’t figure it out and it goes to a collection agency and their error ruins my credit?

3) Boy was I rude when I left that message on the phone to the finance department tonight. Is it okay to get mad? I rarely get mad? What type of example am I setting? That’s not me. Should I apologize when they call? Why should I apologize? Everyone gets mad once in a while. His Holiness the Dalai Lama even says so.

4) The last time they said I owed thousands of dollars, I took them on their word and wrote a check, and then they sent the same amount back to me. What is their problem.

5) Wow, I still have lots of unresolved issues around the university. Maybe I should have sued them. No. That’s not right. That doesn’t feel right. I wonder how much money I might have gotten. Hmmmm?

6) Why is this bugging me so much? I have Aspergers, so the envelope was unexpected…surprise equals panic and fear. Answer: Unresolved financial matters makes me nervous. It is hard to relax until the situation is resolved. I  feel wrongly misjudged and like I did something bad when I haven’t done anything wrong. I am looping on the word “Collection Agency” if not paid by October 21,2012. How could I pay that fast when I just got the envelope?

And now my brain spins on numbers. Months. Days of the week. And back to the money numbers. Round and round with digits and doubts.

7) Deep breaths. Maybe I do need to still verbally process through writing. Maybe.

Post 240: The Wow Factor

Wow! I’ve really found myself again.

Transformations and transitions have been powerful.

I looked through some photo albums this early morning and I actually remember joy and happiness and love. I see the person I was and am. I see what a wonderful, nurturing mother I was and am. I see how beautiful I was and am.

I spent so much of my life doubting my exterior and internal beauty.

I’m realizing I am beauty.

I have energy. I’m motivated. I’m excited for life. I’m hopeful.

I recognize my challenges, but carry a hope that all will be okay.

I’m counting my blessings and recognizing what a glorious life I’ve had.

All in all, every wish I’ve had as a child has come true. And every goal I had as a young adult has been met. I know if I died today, I would be content.

I have helped people through my various vocations and writings.

I have reached out.

I have been caring and thoughtful.

I have placed others first, but also learned to pamper and love myself.

It really is quite glorious.

I’m at a time in my life where I am learning to appreciate my uniqueness and also recognize my commonalities with other people.

I am less rigid and structured, more able to relax and understand my thought processes. More able to accept who I am and what I am.

I am even able to look in the mirror and like what I see.

So much growth.

I am very pleased

view from my home in the early mornings

I’ve spent the last two weeks reawakening and cleansing the energy in my house through the practice of feng shui. And I’ve reveled in the process, spending some nine to ten-hours straight some days working on the house. (Can you say “fixation” ?) The inspiration and motivation to clean and organize my home came after more than five weeks of being couch-bound and sick from a series of infections, the longest standing being viral bronchitis.

Symbolically and energetically, while facing physical health challenges, I cleared out much stagnant energy within my body through my constant coughing and removal of chunks of phlegm. (Pardon that visual image.)

Now that my interior being has had a good scrub through, I am setting about to clear out the gunk from the exterior of my life.

Everyday I cleanse my home, I feel lighter and happier in spirit. I have more clarity than I have experienced in years and have been welcoming many gifts through this energetic cleansing process.

I feel reconnected to a part of me I haven’t felt in years. I am reawakened myself in my ability to recognize the effective and beneficial parent and homemaker, friend, and spirit I am.

*as a side note, both days I cleaned my study, the feng shui area for prosperity and money, I was rewarded within hours with unexpected monetary awards.

Observations:

Removal of dog’s crate, his winter jacket, and blanket from the house. (Scooby passed away in February, shortly after starting this blog.)

Release of grief and sadness.

Welcoming of acceptance, love, and peace.

Bagged and boxed up items I’ve been saving for years, incase I ever need them.

Release of thoughts of scarcity and not enough.

Welcoming of trust and abundance.

Removed dirty plunger, stagnant water, scissors, dirt and debris, and clutter from heart-center of house in utility room.

Release of death, destruction, and stagnant emotion.

Welcoming of clarity, newness, and beneficial flow of energy.

Balanced water elements of bathrooms with earth elements such as floral design, stripes, blue and green, and pottery.

Release of flood of emotions and drowning in worries.

Welcoming of nurturing, calmness, and grounding.

Bedroom cleaned and stripped of clutter and most décor.

Release of cluttered mind and unrest.

Welcoming of deep breaths, deep relaxation, and sanctuary.

Children’s bedrooms cleaned and unneeded items given away.

Release of attachment to greed, distraction, and confusion.

Welcoming of having enough, freedom to move and create, and satisfaction in simplicity.

Underneath kitchen sink cleaned of scum and cleaning supplies removed and placed elsewhere.

Release of need to hide the whole of me. Release of burden of poisonous thoughts.

Welcoming of safety, love of self, and emptying of garbage.

Storage closets organized and cleaned out.

Release of past regrets and the need to hold on to the past. Release of cluttered emotions.

Welcoming of order, structure, and ease.

Front entry cleaned and organized.

Release of fear of people and rejection.

Welcoming of friendship and happiness.

Expired supplements and medications discarded.

Release of pain and suffering.

Welcoming of health and wealth of energy.

Cooking pots and pans, canned and boxed food organized.

Release of dread and confusion.

Welcoming of nutrition, clarity, and fortification.

Décor and gifts I kept out of guilt.

Release of pressure to please, fear of hurting others, and retention of unhealthy relationships.

Welcoming of beauty, joy, and pleasure.

Mementos taken off shelves and out of closet, and then boxed.

Release of fear of losing past happiness and hope.

Welcoming of present happiness and merriment.

Sorting through photo albums and photos.

Removal of past untruths.

Welcoming the beauty I was and am. Welcoming the wonderful memories of the family I have helped lift and raise.

Post 239: I Don’t Know You

I don’t know you.

I think I do, but I don’t.

There is so much about you unspoken, unseen, untouched.

And I long to reach these places,

to dip inside you with the full of me,

with every inch of my being and penetrate the ocean that is you,

the one that rises and falls,

ebbs and flows within.

You see, you touch me, you reach, you penetrate,

you dive, you dip,

you even fall into me.

I feel you plunge.

I feel your soul purge,

and your tears,

I catch them,

and my ocean is fed.

I am filled.

I am chosen.

I am one with the essence of your waters.

Until you wake, and look upon me,

and do not know me,

do not choose me,

do not wish me to be the one to carry your dreams.

And you run, like the weather runs in season’s change,

reforming without ever going,

so that what I see and feel, and even breathe, is still you,

but everything around has shifted and altered,

everything different.

Where there were flowers the leaves now fall,

where there was warmth, the snow covers,

And coldness wraps and invades, and eats away,

at me.

Yes, me.

This woman who thirsts for the places she cannot travel.

Whose mouth waters at the very sight of the one she cannot see.

Whom senses eternity in the acorn she holds,

in the sky she evaporates in her mind,

and the outline of the shadow where you almost stand.

Post 237: Your Words

Sometimes the hardest thing about blogging is the readers’ comments.

When I read comments, in fact when I read any words, each word resonates energetically with me.

For the most part, some 99.5 percent of the comments I read on this site are supportive and kind. But there is always that half percent, that few that seem to rise above the rest, like serpents from the murky waters, and shatter what joy was carried with their jagged teeth and rugged scales of anger.

I can feel the anger in certain words. I can feel judgment, dismay, demise. I can feel jealousy, confusion, and mental clutter. I can feel some need to challenge, fight, or crush.

I have to remind myself that others’ words are not a reflection of me. I have to shake myself much like a dog, and flick away all the leech-like fear seeded in some comments.

I have to remember whomever writes words that are not beneficial to my spirit is in desperate need of hope and love. I have to remind myself that their pain is my pain. And the best I can do is to pray for the individual. To visualize the person finding support, clarity, and a release from whatever holds him or her prisoner.

Your Words

Embrace

Reject

Hurt

Enchant

Love, love, love

Pierce

Words from air

Words from mind

Words that soar out

To feed upon

To enrich

All these words

Souls

Dancing on the pages of my endless sky

Like clouds at sundown

Fading after their last performance

Some bleed upon the horizon

Seep into the waters

Some drift away

Ideally

What words

Must I scribe

To show the power

Of word essence

How spirit

How position

Oozes out of letters

And finds substance

Format

Life

With hands that harvest or hold

Create

Anything imagined

Inside this heart of mine

Day 231: Temporary

(This is a continuation from yesterday’s post: Day 230 Tornado )

From the backseat of a dented sedan, amongst a cluttering of mismatched suitcases, I drew in my breath through my nostrils and lowered my head in doleful resignation. There, outside my car window atop a plateau, slept a muddy-brown structure—most of its windows draped in faded tangerine sheets.

“There it is,” Ben said, curling his lips into a satisfied grin and tapping his hands on the steering wheel to the beat of the song Sexual Healing.

The car engine stopped.  The music stopped.  And Ben started.  “Just take a look,” he said with an easy stroke to Mother’s sleeveless shoulder.  “It’s just like I told you. Look!”

Glancing forward and to the left a bit, I followed Ben’s rounded back up, and then across and down the length of his burly arm to his stubby finger which pointed through the window to a pathetic dwelling; which alas, to my deep disappointment, appeared to be the worst house on the best street in town.  Not only was the house in desperate need of paint and the yard weeping with neglect, but the mailbox itself was a rusted clump of sadness.  My soon to be new home, this place I would slumber and eat, shower and dress, and partake in life in general, was ironically misplaced, set out in front of the world in its worst garment and accessories.

Knowing what to do, almost instinctively, I narrowed my eyes into a half-squint and scanned the surface alternating the image of the house from blurry to clear and back again to blurry.  I’d looked at my reflection in the mirror in the same way, after discovering by blurring my reverse-self I was momentarily able to erase all visible flaws.

 

The rest is in the book 🙂