This morning I actually had a thought of something I have learned that may actually help someone out there. Many of us humans struggle with this and it is probably one of the hardest things a human can do. It’s finding the courage to allow ourselves to feel our feelings, no matter what they are, no matter how bad it hurts.
Ever since I was a little girl I have tried to run from my feelings. I’m sensitive and I got picked on a lot for that. Then, once my parents divorced when I was in the 3rd grade, making my way through my childhood without much guidance made everything harder. Major life events, like starting my period, were blown out of proportion because I had only myself to guide me. When that happened, I was in gym class and the coach made such a crass comment when I didn’t know what was happening to me, everyone knew what happened. It was embarrassing.
Eventually, things got to the point where I was just stuffing those bad feelings away. Year after year. Mistake after mistake. Until finally I could hardly feel at all, unless it was pain. I mean, I wasn’t walking around all sad, I was having a lot of fun times. I guess it was easier to go have fun all the time than face my feelings packed away.
Until one night, I was like 25 or so. Laying on the floor of some guy’s apartment. His wife he had separated from had come by and they were talking in the bedroom. He and I had been shacking up, sort of. More like he was using me for a place to stay. As I lay there in the silence, I thought of the things that floated around my head and really judged them. There was a judge, that was me, and the thoughts would come by and I would either dismiss or keep. For a while this went on, until I finally got down to it. What the FUCK was I doing laying there like some second class slut. So I got up and got in my truck and from my mouth came a gush of pain. Crying, beating the steering wheel. Years of pain just washed out of me. Then I went home and never went back over there again.
After that I started writing a lot. Writing and writing and writing. Finally I felt a little peace. I thought it was done, I was like enlightened or something. It felt really great and I was relieved.
Alas, it isn’t that easy. Because I still kept running away from my bad feelings and packing more in to boot. Only until it came to a head and I ended up in rehab 7 years ago did I really start to unpack my garbage.
After I got out of rehab almost 7 years ago, I had nightmares for weeks. I’d start screaming out in my sleep. It would wake Carlos up and he’d just pat me and roll over. I’m sitting there, panting and terrified. Afraid to go back to sleep. Eventually, the nightmares stopped through my therapy during Intensive Outpatient (after inpatient rehab). Once I figured out the reason for the nightmare, they would go away.
But, you guessed it, that wasn’t even the end.
A few months ago, Carlos tripped a huge trigger that sent me into a rage so bad, I was beating the door. My hand was bruised pretty bad. My husband did not deserve the horrible insults I hurled through that door at him. Then, once I realized how out of control I was, I went into a really bad panic attack. I made my way out to the front living room and sat on the couch trying to calm myself. Then James got home and he is just standing there looking at me because he didn’t want to leave me alone, but he wanted to go put his stuff down. Then Carlos gets out of the shower and tells James to go ahead and go to his room. He’s like, “do you still want to sleep in the guest bedroom” and I shake my head, no. He and James gathered all my stuff I had angrily dropped off in the guest room because I had intended to sleep there and, basically, put me to bed.
That’s what they do, they take care of me when I can’t take care of myself. It isn’t something I love, having to be taken care of. This is just the state of my life sometimes with the disorder I have.
After that awful rage I had to trace the trigger. That was the worst rage I have ever had and I needed to know why so I wouldn’t do that again. 22 years ago, I broke up with this dude and he turned his feelings off like a spigot. One day he loved me, the next he didn’t. For almost a year I wandered around heartbroken trying to do enough drugs to make me stop feeling the pain. It hurt so bad, I wanted to accidentally die but it not be a suicide.
He was trying to wind down from the day, it was already 11 o’clock and I went out there wanting to talk. He told me he couldn’t listen anymore because he was tired. What I heard Carlos say, “we’ll, he’s not in this room” when I told him, crying, that I had no one to talk to because he wasn’t listening to me. (he says he didn’t say that, but that’s what I remember) When those words came out of his mouth, it was KABLAM, 1999 all over again. It set me off big time, spewing all the anger and hurt towards the wrong guy because I felt rejected and was afraid of being abandoned. (which Carlos wouldn’t do because he is a stubborn mofo, and dug his heels in when I tried to run him off.. and he loves me, too)
Even after all these years, and all the garbage I never allowed myself to heal from, I’m still finding more shit in there.
May 10, 2021, one of my greatest fears came true when we lost our Cody, my nephew, who I loved so very much. He was born my senior year of high school. I helped take care of him and my niece Chelsea a lot. And I love them as much as my own son. I especially hurt for my sister, who is my personal super hero, lost her baby boy. That hurt a lot because I love her so much. Anyway, before I get too sad again, I just want to say that through this horrible pain, I have allowed myself to grieve and haven’t tried to push it away. Except for the drive to Wimberley right after it happened, when I was trying to get to my sister. For that, heavy metal played really loud helped. (just a tip if you ever need it)
The difference I have found, as time has gone on, I allowed myself to grieve and feel all the pain because I knew I had to. When I think of him, it still makes me mad at the universe that he had to go so soon, but I am not traumatized by it. I’m healing from it. That makes me happy because I know Cody wouldn’t want me to hurt like that.
This turned into another long post, jeez I talk a lot. Well, time to put on Alex Jones and go to sleep. It’s 11:30 and I gotta work in the morning. Hope maybe this helps someone out there if I ever get the courage to tell people I am actually writing stuff in my blog.
Peace out, my dudes.
