Aloe & Moss

I remember the very first publicly posted affirmation poster I ever saw – it was a kitten dangling from a tree branch on a yellow background.  Hang In There!.  It was dumb.  Even my elementary school aged brain saw past the kitten and recognized the absurdity of the poster.  The kitten was a good distraction, but did not negate any part of the ridiculous message.  What does it look like, to hang in there?  What am I supposed to do?  Does hanging in there mean that I do nothing to change anything?  Does it mean that I should take a passive role in my life?  Is this just what we’re doing now? EXPLAIN THIS BS TO ME!

Alex calls me pretty frequently to talk about things she might be over-thinking.  She likes a reality check.  “Is it me or…”.  Similarly, I will call around to my people and run things by them, but mostly I know that I am 100% reasonable at all times, without fail, and the clearly anyone that slights me is in the wrong.  Clearly.  I just need confirmation of my never-ending correctness.

Alex once accused me over text of giving her some affirmations rather than actually contributing to our conversation.  I can’t remember what I said – but knowing me it was probably something about moving forward.  (We never move on.  There is a subtlety in the difference between moving forward and moving on).

Her accusation of affirmation sparked me on a month long inner discussion regarding my loathing for “Time heals all wounds”.  Uummm… no.  There are some wounds that never heal over.  They may scab up.  Get crusty.  But they never heal.  I will never recover from the loss of Joe or Z.

I don’t want to hang in there, I don’t want you to tell me Let go and let God (I super hate that one).  If you tell me to focus on the positive I will instead focus on the budding anger sparked by that gem.

Last August I went up to to visit Joe and Z on their day (Joe’s birthday, Z’s death day) and I did a quick drive-by at my Aunt and Uncle’s house.  My mom and I stopped in to chat and my aunt sat on the couch next to me and held my hand and refrained from telling me anything that involved the future or memories or (my least favorite) God’s will.  She just spoke softly about her love for me and that was it.

Affirmations do not help the recipient.  Often they aren’t reflective of the giver, either.  They’re just words that fill up an uncomfortable silence.  Back-alley therapy doesn’t serve any good.

Telling me to be positive is not a call to action.

Actually, I take that back.  It will make me angry, and that will give me something to act on.  I mean a kidney punch is not positive action, but it is still action.

If something I say triggers a response from you, and you don’t know what to say back – go with “Wow.  That sucks.”  Its not helpful, but it won’t make me mad and it will affirm my emotion.  So, there it is.  an affirmation.

Just sit with me and embrace the suck.

Zero Stars.  Do not recommend.