Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real-life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging”, as I know each of these pieces represents something…
Everything Inside (2019, 223 pages ) authored by Edwidge Danticat. Thinking how to review this book, I hear a whisper “It is there story to tell?” I do feel like I have to give you the reader something, so, if you asked me to sum this book of short stories up in one sentence I would say, the words at the start of this post are a beautiful warning, and if that’s not enough take the words of one of the male protagonists “As long as you’re breathing you can be hurt” (38). If you saw this book on my desk or in my tote bag, I would tell you it’s “A poignant, melancholy, heartbreaking, hopeful read that leaves the reader emotional” “He wanted them to see him or, if they could not see him, sense him.” (212), self-reflecting on life, “Sometimes you just have to shake the devil off you, whatever that devil is .. “(144). The eight stories in this collection focus on the intricate and complex nature of relationships: familial, personal, and friendships; of love, loss, grief, trauma, and heartbreak. The complexity of the Haitian diaspora manifests in twists and turns into compelling tales which grab you right away and don’t let go until the last page. Then it starts all over again as this is a book of short stories ranging from twenty to thirty pages each. There are no wasted words in Everything Inside, Danticat writes with soul. The reader feels connected to Danticat’s characters, and the journey they are each on.
Take 5 minutes to grab a pen, pencil, or marker and fill a page with free, intuitive drawing. Don’t aim for beauty-just let your hand move. Shapes, lines, loops, dots-whatever comes.
– This helps release mental clutter, tap into your subconscious, and calm your nervous system. It’s less about art, and more about feeling.
Try it anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or mentally blocked.You deserve a pause. You deserve peace.
This is in response to “Loving But Frustrated Daughter,” whose 92-year-old mother lives in a secluded rural home in the Midwest, very distant from the daughter’s home in Southern California. The mother scolds the daughter when she needs to end what’s been a long phone conversation, and the daughter feels guilty trying to please and support her mother while carving out time for herself and her family.
I have always lived a considerable distance from my mother, grandmother and then a mother-in-law, and “back in the day” we corresponded regularly with written letters and cards. A card or letter received in the mail brightens anyone’s day and can be picked up and reread at the receiver’s convenience and saved for as long as the receiver cares to do so. Letters do not need to be long, and if poor vision is a problem, could be written or printed in larger than normal font. This daughter could send a short letter or card once a week or every two weeks, and could even furnish her mother with self-addressed, stamped cards for the mother to jot a note on and send back.
My older relatives have all passed, but I still cherish the cards and letters we shared for so many years. This might be a helpful suggestion to your letter writer.
– Letter Writer
Dear Writer: Another great suggestion; thank you. I recently met someone who writes their grandmother a letter every single week and the tradition warmed my heart.
Real Life of an MSW 