You know what? I wasn't done. I knew when I was writing part one of this series that I had eons more to say. While my perspective (white cis straight-sized wahine plagued by ghosts of body insecurity and fear of weight gain) is not representative of everyone by any means, I know damn well just… Continue reading New Year, Same Me: Bodies (Part Two)
Tag: mental health
New Year, Same Me: Bodies (Part One)
Welp, we've made it through a whole year of teaching. When did that happen? It's true what they say about time passing faster the older you get. Both freaky and kind of humbling, in a way. Just when I'm starting to thoroughly enjoy my existence, too. Not that I didn't before, but also - sometimes… Continue reading New Year, Same Me: Bodies (Part One)
Ex-Christianity Revisited: Mental Health, Autistic Burnout & the Church
This may surprise some, but I don't write-off my entire Christian past as negative. The relationship I have with that life stage is a complex and nuanced one, and I learned a lot through this time - through people, experiences and community. Autistic Burnout My mental health as a Christian teenager regularly fluctuated. I had… Continue reading Ex-Christianity Revisited: Mental Health, Autistic Burnout & the Church
Open Letter to Tweenage Me
Hey, tweenage Abby. How's it going? What's new? Just kidding - everything that is new for you right now is Very Old For Me. I'm double your age now, isn't that whack? We're nothing like you imagined we would be. Except for our mahi, maybe. We definitely saw that coming - even if the context… Continue reading Open Letter to Tweenage Me
Musings on Mortality (Part Two)
Bridging clumsily into an extended climate change brain dump, I continue my quest. For what? ...to normalise discussions about our mortal souls, of course. In On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism, I briefly summarise my climate anxiety: "Nature is Changing" "Staring me down in my older adulthood is the vortex of climate change, which… Continue reading Musings on Mortality (Part Two)
Qualified, Medicated, Elucidated.
Despite numerous drafts on the back burner, none have quite made it live for quite some time. I would say must do better, but this is my playground, not homework. There are no deadlines, quotas or gradebooks. I'm not letting anyone down by not posting - at most I'm just barn-egging my free range-destined ideas.… Continue reading Qualified, Medicated, Elucidated.
On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism
You might think I’m a little young to be preoccupied with the passage of time, but I have acquired both an appreciative fascination for it and a vague uneasiness about it. Mostly, I'm trying to just enjoy what is - because eventually, it won't be. I'm now that cousin/aunt who says things like "I remember… Continue reading On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism
Things Hospital Taught Me | Dans l’hôpital
Disgust and eye-rolls aside: I can't quite be the same anymore. That's dramatic. It feels silly to say, but it's true. Hospital taught me patience, grit, and to be gentle with others. It taught me the power of my own mind, and the necessity of guarding my energy and emotions. I am continuing to learn… Continue reading Things Hospital Taught Me | Dans l’hôpital
Rumaki i te Rāwhiti | The Cactus Chronicles
I am exhausted, somewhat frazzled, yet have survived week 2 of my first ever teaching practicum. Praise be. No kōrero teka - student teaching is the wild west, and I'm the cactus: prickly, conspicuously green and always full of water. The kupu Māori for immersion also means 'to drown'. It is simultaneously both poetic and… Continue reading Rumaki i te Rāwhiti | The Cactus Chronicles
Theatre Review: Change Your Own Life
Reviewing a theatre show is definitely a first for me, but I have good reason for doing so - and that reason is that this show was very fucking good. If you have ever wanted to change your own life, you best sit down and view this stunningly gut-wrenching one wahine show from a femme… Continue reading Theatre Review: Change Your Own Life