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Alexandra Flora's avatar

The "no amount of mental health struggle is less deserving than another" point lands so cleanly because it names the specific way shame quietens the people most likely to need to speak. The "at least" reflex sounds humble but functions as silencing. Suffering doesn't grade on a curve. And the loss of someone who looked privileged from the outside is often the most under-named tragedy because the script for that grief still doesn't exist. Wonderful piece.

Angelica Thorne | Fiction's avatar

The line about apologizing for our pain before we describe it hit hard. I have done that too many times, especially when my life looked “fine” from the outside while I was quietly holding more than people knew.

The parenting section stayed with me, too. Repair has become one of the most important lessons I try to teach my girls. We will mess up. What matters is whether we come back with honesty, love, and enough humility to name what happened.

That is such generous language for tired parents.

Tera Louise Rosebrough's avatar

I usually have a lot to say in a logical way, you cover everything I think about, being diagnosed late in life is something a lot of women go through statistically, we are great at masking, traditionally women are more social while the men go and hunt, they don’t need the same social abilities that women, who are community builders create in the kitchen, barefoot baking for the whole family. As a mother myself later in life, and running to businesses independently, I experienced something so similar, especially because my business runs on Etsy Etsy boxed me in, I became the machine of Etsy that is the status quo they wanted and with my personality, I always strive to achieve as high as the sky, I don’t mean to, it’s just what I do, I’m also a perfectionist, an Etsy ruined my brain along with all of the technology that keeps changing. I feel you and you did a great live.

Marie-Christine Oliver's avatar

Thank you for your encouraging words Tera. I am glad my meandering thoughts resonated with you.

Tera Louise Rosebrough's avatar

non-linear but all connected and not meandering imo, simply not step-by-step, you are multidimensional, and the two step just gives anxiety to us all.

I felt you on the screen, what you experienced is exactly what I was dealing with is all I gotta say, keep on going and going, and forget the notes, you know more than your notes, you are brilliant and you’ve got this girl!

I made this, personal philosophy- Heroes die with honor way too soon.

Women stay, sometimes longer than they wish to and women like you are a rose. You rose up! You bloomed 🌹

thus you are , Her Rose. and when a rose blooms, it must be handled with great care otherwise, thorn you. Roses have thorns. It’s just a fact of the matter of life.

Tera Louise Rosebrough's avatar

and it’s purposely not signed, this is art for the bouquet of roses out there who don’t know they’re part of a bouquet yet, and I never forget, my brain is way too much and I know you get it because I felt that in the video. Feels like there’s a lot more of u than I personally ever knew

Marie-Christine Oliver's avatar

Thank you Tera. Did you draw that? It’s beautiful! 🌹

Tera Louise Rosebrough's avatar

yes, I drew it, then I put it in Canva and gave it the black frame because I thought it looked cool, like it’s a old movie theatre screen. Maybe I should add some curtains to it but that might be too much.

Jen Benford's avatar

This was great 💜

Marie-Christine Oliver's avatar

Thank you so much @Jen Benford, it was so encouraging to have you there when my brain stopped working! 😅

Jen Benford's avatar

It’s funny you say that because I thought nothing of it when you paused. You just care and are thoughtful in what you are sharing is my interpretation.💜 NT communication “norms” don’t usually fit for our brains 🧠 You had me engaged the whole time. 🐦‍🔥

Marie-Christine Oliver's avatar

Thank you for sharing this. There can be such a difference between how we perceive ourselves vs. what others experience!