…Discover recovery and renewal in life’s journey. Raise awareness of Veteran Suicide Prevention efforts with programs like 2.2 for the 22.
Before I get back to healing…
Of the many artistic drives I have, (drives, I said, not talents), music is what speaks most to me. I play a little guitar (very little), I used to sing when I had a voice, and I’ll sing or hum along with any and all music – Donna calls it wailing now. 🙄 It doesn’t matter if I like it or not. In a few bars the melody will be in my head and I’m already humming along. Long enough and I’ll know most of the words to lip sync and fool you all. 😋
Also – I was the best Muppet singer ever…
🎼badada-dum, doo doo da doodoo,
🎵badada-dum, doo doo da doo,
🎶badada-dum, doo doo da doodoo,
🎷da-doodoo, da-doodoo, do do do do do do doo.
🎺badada-dum…🎶
You’re welcome! 😋
I still listen to my favorites while creating. When writing, I listen to soft acoustic instrumentals. For anything else, Rock my world. My tastes vary, to be true; I will rock out one day, jazz up the next, and occasionally I’ll take a very light dose of pop – Pomplamoose for example. I love the mashups these guys do.
Lately, I’m stuck on Lari Basilio’s new album, Redemption.
I’ll put one of her songs to the slideshow coming up, aptly named “New Chapter”. What is recovery but starting anew. you might have guessed this was a dive back into yesterday’s event, 2.2 for the 22 at Las Positas College in Livermore, CA. You would be correct. This will be the last until next year.
Reflecting on the Importance of 2.2 for the 22
There can’t be very much better solution to a thing so severe than to have the community come together with one purpose. To show each other the way out. Being an integral part of a recovery process that works for all of us is my goal. Veteran suicide is preventable if we care enough to get involved.
NOTE: remember to stop playing ‘Old Town Road’ before you start the video.
Veteran Suicide is preventable.
There are ways for us to climb out. I’ve shown just one here. The Vet Centers across the country are saving lives every day. The Concord Vet Center is responsible for talking me down until support showed up. Consequently, I’m alive still. It truly was a close thing. That is repeated everywhere every day. The Vet Center is a great place for us to be among kindred souls and even to find counseling. They may not be everywhere, but there are lots around. I pray there is one near you, and if not, that you have a strong support group in place. Remember, please, alone is no good. Not for us. Not ever. Get help.
For myself, the healing has been coming for some time. It so happens that my sobriety and my recovery are in full swing and they happened near enough to each other to be thought of as complimentary, and by God, were they ever that. I’m not sure I could do one properly without the other. I believe I’m just that fortunate that it all came together within a years’ time that I got sober and started to learn life again. My support group was hugely responsible for my continuing recovery. I can’t stress the need for companionship enough – positive companionship.
Coping daily
Life isn’t perfect. It’s manageable and that’s a blessing. I find great solace is creating these amateur slideshow videos. I watch them myself whenever I feel the need. This one was far more impactful than most of the rest. Watching this and other videos like it is how I cope with the times so rough I’m not able to create.
Here’s another fun Video for the wounded soul: Wild Horses
FYI: You know you can skip these posts if you can’t relate, or if they hit too hard. I understand that experiencing another’s grief can be debilitating. Don’t go there, please.
Shorty sends…