It told your story clearly and completely enough that it followed a timeline. You left people with hope.
One thing I think you might do sometime is to point out that it is not necessary to have been caught in the middle of heavy combat yourself to develop PTSD. I had a friend who said it took a long time to realize he could develop PTSD although his job was cooking in a mess hall in a remote enough location that it never “saw combat”
I'm glad you bring that up. As you know, I never saw combat myself; my ship "simply" took the Marines over that then marched into Baghdad. Because of that it took me YEARS to acknowledge, even to myself, that my problems were directly tied to my time in service.
In fact, just last year I had a friend ask me, "If you were never in danger, how did you get PTSD?" Clearly, this is an area where a lot of people lack understanding, and definitely something I should speak on more regularly.
I'm sorry the pancakes were yucky, but so proud of you for not letting that make your day worse! Thank you for taking us along on your journey. My dad was in the Marine Corps, stationed in the Philippines from 1958-1962 (I was born a few years after that), and the "cure" for anxiety when I was young was "Do it anyway!" So I did, or I missed out (I still have regrets about one particular time, but it worked out in the end. Lol).
You are, indeed, a very good writer, and I am convinced that you CAN make enough money to sustain yourself with that income, should you desire to do so. But isn't it nice to be learning the coping skills that allow you to feel comfortable to live life on your terms? You are capable of doing whatever YOU want to do, when YOU are ready to do it.
Thank you again for sharing. Your posts are always moving and meaningful, and I appreciate you sharing your experiences, and the insight you gain along the way. You are an inspiration.
Thank you so much. I’m sure when I’m ready, I will be able to make a significant income from my writing skills. But, yeah, right now… it’s really nice to be able to take things slow and be able to learn these lessons at a pace that’s (mostly) comfortable.
It told your story clearly and completely enough that it followed a timeline. You left people with hope.
One thing I think you might do sometime is to point out that it is not necessary to have been caught in the middle of heavy combat yourself to develop PTSD. I had a friend who said it took a long time to realize he could develop PTSD although his job was cooking in a mess hall in a remote enough location that it never “saw combat”
I'm glad you bring that up. As you know, I never saw combat myself; my ship "simply" took the Marines over that then marched into Baghdad. Because of that it took me YEARS to acknowledge, even to myself, that my problems were directly tied to my time in service.
In fact, just last year I had a friend ask me, "If you were never in danger, how did you get PTSD?" Clearly, this is an area where a lot of people lack understanding, and definitely something I should speak on more regularly.
This week’s newsletter was the best one yet. Nicely done, Michael!
Thanks Barb! What did you like about it?
I'm sorry the pancakes were yucky, but so proud of you for not letting that make your day worse! Thank you for taking us along on your journey. My dad was in the Marine Corps, stationed in the Philippines from 1958-1962 (I was born a few years after that), and the "cure" for anxiety when I was young was "Do it anyway!" So I did, or I missed out (I still have regrets about one particular time, but it worked out in the end. Lol).
You are, indeed, a very good writer, and I am convinced that you CAN make enough money to sustain yourself with that income, should you desire to do so. But isn't it nice to be learning the coping skills that allow you to feel comfortable to live life on your terms? You are capable of doing whatever YOU want to do, when YOU are ready to do it.
Thank you again for sharing. Your posts are always moving and meaningful, and I appreciate you sharing your experiences, and the insight you gain along the way. You are an inspiration.
Thank you so much. I’m sure when I’m ready, I will be able to make a significant income from my writing skills. But, yeah, right now… it’s really nice to be able to take things slow and be able to learn these lessons at a pace that’s (mostly) comfortable.
I’m really glad that my writing speaks to you!
Great story and great lessons (you're a great writer). I think we all can get a little anxious from time to time. I know I still do.
Thank you Sean. I’m really glad this spoke to you.