Finding the Light in the Darkness

The story of an abuse survivor

Kids May 7, 2008

Filed under: My story, Randomness — katm @ 7:23 am

I sit there at recess and watch the kids playing.  I realize I have no idea what it means to be a kid.  It’s bizarre.  I try to remember playing in the sandbox or on the slides.  The only part of recess I can remember is hiding on the other side of the building so nobody would see me cry.  I used to beg my teachers to stay inside.  I hated trying to look normal.  I’d rather be branded as a geek or nerd than deal with the kid world.

There’s really no point to this whole entry…  just some random thoughts that have been going through my head.  Maybe part of it is me coming to grips with how different my life was.

 

Smile! May 2, 2008

Filed under: Positive things, Randomness — katm @ 10:55 pm

I saw this picture on Cute Overload and I just had to put it here.

Smiling Fish

Isn’t he just the cutest thing.

I hope he makes you smile.

 

Poor Charlie Brown Apr 27, 2008

Filed under: Depression, Randomness — katm @ 9:44 pm

I just thought this was cute. Charlie Brown has a revelation and then his joys are dashed by Lucy (as usual).

 

Why? Apr 27, 2008

Filed under: Child Abuse, Emotions, Fears, PTSD, Therapy — katm @ 10:02 am

This is some I wrote a few weekends ago.  I was waiting to go to Costco with some friends.  They had their karate class while I wrote.

April 12, 2008

Why is a question I haven’t been able to ask until just recently. It scared me too much. I didn’t want to think abou tit. Asking why makes me ask if it really was my fault.

Addressing the issue of blame requires me to consider that maybe, just maybe, it really wasn’t my fault.

I’ve heard so many people over the years tell me it wasn’t my fault. I’d argue vehemently with those people because it was so much easier to blame myself.

But now I think I’m ready to take a more objective look at my past. I’ve read the literature. I know all these things. I can tell them to other people who have had similar experiences. But I couldn’t apply it to my own life.

Wow, this is hard. It requires me to ditch my old ways of thinking. Change is rarely easy. There are always challenges to overcome.

So back to the topic of this entire post. Why? Why me? In some ways, it sounds like whining. “But God, why?” (said in a sing-song voice). However, I do think it’s a valid question and I think it’s a question that eventually needs to be addressed. Now that I think about it, asking why is one of the stages of grief.

I think it’s an issue I’m going to take slowly. I’ve been feeling stable (sort of) the last few days. My recent brush with suicidal thinking resolved itself more quickly than usual. A big part of it was the migraine I had. So I don’t want to send myself careening over an emotional ledge.

Somehow, just writing this has strangely cathartic. I need to start writing regularlly again. I got out of the habit and lost the benefit.

I also realize I didn’t really address the topic of the post. But I wanted to make a start. I need to do this in baby steps if possible.

 

Moving forward? Apr 23, 2008

Filed under: Anxiety — katm @ 8:07 am

Jigsaw Analogy recently wrote an entry on “the pity party” some abuse survivors have.  I’ll first say that I totally agree with everything written in that entry.  However, it made me think.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m living in the past too much.  I wonder if I’m letting my fears limit me.  I wonder if I’m running away.

On the surface, it looks like I’m functioning well.  I’m working.  I’m paying my bills.  I’m living independently.  I have friends.  But deep down inside, I’m still the scared, insecure little girl I was 20 years ago.

Have I gotten too complacent and lazy?  Am I too afraid to tackle those remaining issues?  I have that book my last therapist copied, but I’ve yet to open it.  What is holding me back? Am I having my own version of a pity party?

Funny thing, about 10 days ago, I thought I was making progress. But now it seems like what I was thinking is even more of a pity party.  I’ve yet to post it, but it’s about asking “Why?”.

Thoughts?  Comments?  Feedback?  Swift kick in the ass?

 

5×5 Apr 20, 2008

Filed under: Dreams, Emotions, Friends, Interesting stuff, Positive things, Randomness — katm @ 8:11 am

Five topics. Five responses. Twenty-five things about me. Who is weird enough to want to know that much about me? Why, museditions is. What she’s thinking, I don’t know. Anyhow, she tagged me for a meme, so here it is.

As usual, the tagged are not obligated to participate. It’s not like I’m going to hunt you down and make you reveal your innermost secrets.

5 Things Found In Your Bag (this would be the bag I carry to work)

  • Two student textbooks (Smart Phonics 1 and English Land 1)
  • A journal (for those times when I just need to get my frustrations out)
  • A box of blank CDs (gotta have songs for work)
  • Hard copies of various docments that got wiped from the computer when they reinstalled Windows (gee, thanks for mentioning to us they weren’t even going to back up the big folder labeled “teachers”)
  • A Fedora 7 Live CD for when I really need to get work done at work and don’t want to use their virus infested computers (yes, 2 weeks after reinstalling Windows the computers are infested again)

5 Favorite Things In Your Room

  • My laptop
  • My guinea pig, Sparker
  • My brand new bed
  • My toaster oven
  • My books

5 Things You Have Always Wanted To Do

  • Write a real computer program (5 line shell scripts do not count)
  • Go to Europe
  • Play the guitar
  • Write music
  • Publish my poetry

5 Things You Are Currently Into

  • Computers
  • Almost any program on TV that is in English
  • Trying just to be myself
  • Cheese (no seriously, I went to Costco and bought a ginourmous block of cheese, it’s awesome)
  • Harry Potter

5 People You Want To Tag

 

Halcion Apr 19, 2008

Filed under: Medication, Sleep — katm @ 11:33 pm

Let’s just say I slept last night. A quarter of a milligram of Halcion put me out for almost 18 hours. I’ve never taken it before, and I’ve taken just about every sleep medication known to man.

I managed to drag myself out of bed about 2 PM. Food and showering helped wake me up. I had to buy a birthday gift, so I needed to get out. I wandered around old downtown for about 2 hours. I got the gift I needed plus some hair clips and a pair of sunglasses.

The doctor gave me two doses of the Halcion. Trust me, I won’t be taking it on a night when I have to go to work the next day and I’ll be splitting the dose the next time I take it.

It did feel good to sleep though. It was that blessed, dreamless, deep sleep. It was the kind of sleep I really needed to recharge my batteries. Hopefully I’ll get another good night’s sleep tonight. And hopefully I’ll be ready to face the work week on Monday.