All I do is sleep, eat, play a game, read, and clean house. I'm a very boring person. Lately, Applesammuri and I have been playing Overwatch together (y'all should hmu if you wanna on PC, i love playing support).
But, we got a bit of new chaos in our life. My sister brought home a new born kitten found on the ground at work. No clue what happened to the mom or if that story about the man finding it in the parking lot is true. But, it's in our care. It eats well, been peeing, has a strong cry, and mews a lot. Doesn't have its eyes open yets.
I've been rolling around in my head and mulling over what "beginner" truly means; what did it mean for me when I was a beginner and how did I end up with what I have and not what I've come to see as misguided? My start was in SoM and it is not kind to beginners overall. If I'd shared what I believed to be true while I was still in my mewling stages, I'd have been written off in a heartbeat because it didn't fit the status quo that is accepted in this community. I became accepted because I was quiet and asked questions when I didn't know things, followed by my own studies, but I think a lot of people forget that this is a very gradual process and far more casual than anyone really thinks it is.
Part of what I've learned did come from SoM, but there was no real guide to begin with and the ones we have now certainly wouldn't have led me to where I am now. I like what I have now and I'd like for others to share in finding their own way that is healthy and means something to them. In many ways, I'm still finding myself and it humbles me to think that a "beginner" piece of writing should be beneficial to me as well as to someone less experienced and developed.
To achieve that, I think we have to get rid of the assumptions we as a community have of beginners. All of our own paths are diverse even though we can understand the common concepts of other paths, and this point should illustrate even further that the collective 'beginners" are just as diverse, not folk to be pigeon-holed into our previous bad experiences.
Furthering the point, we have the dreaded basics, which are treated as base knowledge when the majority of practitioners on SoM either aren't affected by them or have different opinions of them. We tell people that the real study is their own to forge and then end conversation with that, stating that "we shouldn't have to spoon-feed people." This is not a healthy community behavior, nor is it one we are obligated to perpetuate or even combat. But that's the beauty of it all, really. We all make decisions when we communicate with others based on our own moods and desires. This is true for everyone. It is true for me, for those who are more experienced, and for those who are new.
I choose to create pieces of writing that benefit experienced practitioners as well as those who are new by treating the writing process as one that does not differentiate between the two. Now if only I always had the motivation and follow-through to write everything at least as much as I do in this moment.
Re: The Coffee Shop By: Personified / Knowledgeable
Post # 174 Jul 15, 2016
Life has been hard lately, hence my absence in the coven. My fiance lost his job a month or so ago and therefore I have had to work extra hours to try and keep us afloat. Financial matters are stressful and I'm hoping he finds work soon. Meanwhile, I am chugging along at graduate school. I have officially finished my proposal and am now onto the data analysis portion of my thesis. I feel very anxious and overwhelmed most of the time but I keep telling myself just one more year of this.
So things are starting to look up after a rough patch (that is still going on, but is more bearable now that I'm actually doing things. Take that, Depression!). c: I really wish SoM had drafts for the forum, though. Or an editing option. Or both.
I also have two new creamer flavors because my mom had to walk through the soaking rain and she didn't want to carry one big carton; opting for two smaller jugs instead. They are Cookie and Chocolate Caramel Truffle flavored and I've only had the Cookie so far, but it drastically alters the taste of my black silk coffee (Folgers, ftw). I wonder with the Caramel Truffle will taste like. o:
My mom always said not to baby an injury, but she'd say that with the intention that I wouldn't be overexerting the injury as that would cause more pain; the reason she said not to baby it was that so we weren't underexerting and "resetting our normal." Basically, you want the injury to heal with the fewest complications. I still recommend going to see a doctor to make sure there aren't any deeper issues with the injury.
Re: The Coffee Shop By: Personified / Knowledgeable
Post # 178 Jul 27, 2016
Meh. *stares at water bottle*
Have a lot going wrong medically and it's depressing. I have to do a sleep study this Saturday, as I'm not getting any rest anymore and I stop breathing when I'm sleeping. I have to go sometime soon and get a tube shoved down into my stomach while I'm awake so they can peek around. I'm having surgery in October to cut out a large section of my stomach- and once that's done, my whole life changes. I will no longer be able to eat certain foods. I cannot drink carbonated beverages. I'll be on a liquid only diet for like four weeks, then only soft foods for 3-6 weeks, and then have to reintroduce foods to myself one by one.
It's hard not to be depressed about things. Medical or work related.
