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Playing It Safe? Break Through
It’s either a nine-to-five with a 401(k) plan, be potentially set for life (but with a side of Sour Patch), OR swim against the current for an odd chance at doing what you really want. Our options seem so limited; break through that. I have not played it safe, and it’s come with consequences, but are we here to just ultimately show up to our funeral intact? That sounds like a sad purpose. As someone said, “Trust the still, small voice that says, ‘this might work and I’ll try it’.”
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R and B – Things that Are but Shouldn’t Be
Sunday work in the morning breeze. Sushi made with cheese Autoimmune disease Monolinguals in these seven seas Prepubescents all over IG Your name on everything but my caller ID Good intentions going quietly People sitting down when the DJ drops the beat Our twisted version of democracy Disregard of right to privacy Girl on girl rivalry Presidents lacking intelligence and decency Substance abuse High prices on organic foods Belittlement of different views Men telling us when to reproduce Customer service reps with attitudes People dying of hunger Marriage when you’re younger Credit scores turning us into a number Reality shows that make humans dumber Gardens with no flowers Working by…
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Who TF Wants to Be Depressed? Lifing 101
While searching for inspiration, I came across a million great writing prompts. One of them, though, said: “Write about happiness.” I rolled my eyes. To be more accurate, that Robert Downey Jr. meme? That was me…for a good ten seconds. The truth is everyone wants to be happy. I mean, who TF wants to be all depressed? Come on! That’s life-ing 101. If you search the tag, it is probably one of the most popular posts on social media: #happiness. That’s because, again, everyone wants to be happy! Here’s the thing, you just CAN’T write about what happiness means to 7.7 billion humans. And, you certainly can’t tell someone to…
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Past and Present Flashbacks
Writing this with my eyes closed, wanting to keep trapped the thoughts that might slip through the cracks when I look away, out in space. Nothing is kind anymore. Not the sound of night, not the air I breathe, not the light I see hurting my eyes like a splash from the salty sea. In my flashbacks, I see the good intentions that failed to be anything but good by those protecting my youth. I would’ve changed some things if only I could. What bothered me then, bothers me no more now. Not more than it should. Painting happy endings. Frustrated that the paint smudges before anything ever gets dry.…
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Compilation of Best Posts
To whom it may concern: I compiled my favorite and best blog posts from the past six years and they’re now in this eBook format, for the avid reader on the go. You can make them your kill-time stories if you want. I always love hearing from new people outside of my regular blog postings. It is free, of course. About SayEtcétera: I came up with the word around 2014, when I started creating greeting cards and needed a catchphrase as a signature for my store, something that summed up my work. Its meaning is very literal: “…and so forth.” Basically, say everything, anything that you need to say.…
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It is OK to be a Realist
It’s OK to anticipate different outcomes and impossibilities. It’s OK to prepare our hearts and minds for potential undesirable results. It’s OK to be a realist. I would hate being called a “negative” for my tendency to reality-check. I mean, why is it that people credit unrealistic positivity more than they do realistic negativity? Rainbows and unicorns are cool, man, but coming down from that cloud and checking in with Planet Earth from time to time is also good. Does a story of denial ever end well? “Stay positive” “Be happy” — I honestly see one of those posts every single day. And, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE optimism.…
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Love Anyway
If love is going to destroy you regardless, honey, you might as well feel the rain AND the fire while you’re at it. The optimists say, “Love like you’ve never been hurt.” The pessimists, on the other hand, will tell you to proceed with caution, guard your heart, to avoid love at all cost… To be honest, that’s me, the latter. That’s been me one hundred percent of the time. No shame in the cynical game. It takes time to recover and rationalize what just happened; what you and your heart went through. But once you’re at a safe point in life again where (though you don’t necessarily trust a…
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Love at Ten Eighty – Excerpt
“New guy alert, new guy alert!” announced Jenny. She had just come back from the academic advisor’s office. “Technically, aren’t we all new?” sassed Nana. She was always a smart-mouth. But she was right. We were all just starting the semester, but the fact that Kirk was the last student to join the class, a transfer student from Cuba, perfectly earned him that title. “Is he cute?” I asked. For some reason, being surrounded by attractive people made school all that more interesting. Nana said she thought he was cute and then threw a “but” in there. Jenny, on the other hand, didn’t think so. “Like, at all,” she said.…
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Road Rage Saved the Day
It was a four-way intersection. He honked at her as she sped up to turn right. In an unexpected move, he turned left and was then driving behind her. That’s when she rolled down her window, stuck out her hand and gave him the finger. She watched his face in her rear view mirror hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him, but his face was as serious as The Queen’s Guard’s. “Idiot,” she murmured. After a couple of turns, his car was no longer in sight. But five minutes later, they both pulled up into the same parking lot of a convenience store. “Oh for crying out…
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Why Poetry?
Pensive, he looked away as if trying to find the words that, maybe in his mind, would not offend me. His shoulder touched his chin for a second before he said, “I mean, I just don’t get it. What’s the point?” “Of writing?” “Yeah, I mean, writing, blogging…poetry — who’s reading this and what’s the point of it?!” My heart sank at the realization that this guy I liked so much wasn’t able to see the power of words; the fire, the passion, the rational thinking that is found only through these irrational thoughts and imagination. How could he fail to see the beauty in it? “But it’s so…f-cking…beautiful,” I…
