Lettuce spread the butter, not the shame or stigma

I regularly rely on a food pantry. Of course, I’m researching a blog post to destigmatize food insecurity resources. Because that’s what I do. I talk about it openly with my circle of friends. I felt no shame or guilt about it. I meet the criteria of the pantry. No shame until today. Today, someone […]

I need help with daily living. Dr. Oz thinks I just need to be more patriotic.

cats eating on ndecck

Overall, I think I’ve been a good citizen/resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Imperfect, but I do fight the good fight. Still being declared totally and permanently disabled at age 40 was hard. Like many of you, I’ve internalized the belief that being productive aka working AND earning money sets the bar for being a good citizen, […]

I’m the albatross. I swept in at the rescue.

Update – the Albatross Next week will mark one year since I was wrongly involuntarily civilly committed, had the locks changed to my home of 18+ years, and was officially homeless for 196 days. Just prior to those events, negligent medication management had left me toxic with something akin to serotonin syndrome. Just prior to […]

What is the Key to My Returning Home After Six Months? A House (re)Warming Party and I Need Your Help

House key

I’m going home. On Sunday, to be precise. It took more than six months, a lot of lawyers, and more to get myself home to my cats. This is the part where I once again ask for help. I will be moving into the spare bedroom and creating a little living/lounge area in a part […]

Five Reasons I Am Proud of Myself This Week

Apple Pie

It has been a difficult month for me. Let’s just leave it at this – some very unpleasant ‘stuff’ from my childhood has been stirred up and I’ve been struggling to respond appropriately. At the same time, the crazy weather has my asthma in full assault mode so I’m having to take medication to breathe […]