Music as Therapy
Recently I was putting together a mixtape of sorts (I think the kids call them playlists today). Remember those? For me it almost always started with a song and I’d build from there. Finding a group of songs that fit together in such a way as to tell a story, so share a part of myself. I remember the mixtapes I made for friends, the mixtapes that were made for me by friends and loves. Music is such a powerful medium for processing emotions.
Bullies and your inner critic
“Bullies are scared people trapped in scarier bodies.” This quote, or something very close to it, came to me by way of the wonderful Michelle Obama from her memoir “Becoming”. It goes hand in hand with something that seems to be very popular right now “hurt people hurt other people”.
Why we don’t listen to ourselves!
About 13 years ago, I went on a first date. We met via Craigslist Personals of all god forsaken places! (this was before it really just became solely for transactional sex). We emailed back and forth and then met at a bar where a friend was bartending that evening. It almost wasn’t a real date – I had a few friends with me.
Are you emotionally slutty?
About a year ago, I was working with my friend, coach, and teacher, Kira Sabin, and we were recording a podcast. In a moment of describing how I had previously shown up in relationships, I described myself as emotionally slutty. I think I actually giggled when the words came out of my mouth, but I also loved them immediately. It was the perfect descriptor of how I had shown up for years.
Different ≠ Bad
If you were to meet 22 year old me….you’d probably have to explain to her the difference between a latte and cappuccino! But more than that, if you sat down with Amanda of 25 years ago and asked her what 47 year old Amanda’s life would look like – she would have had a very clear picture and it would have looked like this: