Fresh paint

You know those things you use so often that you just can’t see them clearly anymore? We all have them. Maybe it’s your favorite pair of sneakers. They were cute and new when you walked all over London in them, but now they’re dirty and lopsided. You don’t see their degeneration because every time you slip them onto your feet you hear Big Ben chiming through the open window in the back of your brain. Maybe it’s the room in your house with the best natural light – you curl up in there like a sun-worshiping cat, lost in the pages of a book while you ignore the dull, dreary décor. Eventually, you buy a new pair of shoes or you clean up that room and add a few new throw pillows and a scented candle. You wonder why you waited – it feels so good.

Until the other day, that was my website – it was comfy and familiar, but not very inspiring. It seemed like a lot of work to fix it up and, for a long time, I didn’t have that kind of energy. Then last week I decided – it was time to spring clean my cozy, little room on the internet. I wanted to open the windows wide and let the light shine on my words and photos. I wanted to design something sparkly and shiny and have it feel like me because – and this is the really cool thing – lately I’ve been feeling more and more like the real me – the sparkly, shiny me. So, welcome to my new home. I love it! I hope you will too. All my old favorites are still here – they’re just better organized and sporting a new coat of paint.

As my energy and enthusiasm have returned, I’ve been thinking about where I want to take this blog in the foreseeable future. Shedding some light on PTSD and helping those of you who are struggling with it is priority #1. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about what this disorder looks like. It’s not always an exaggerated startle response, uncontrollable anger, and suicidal thoughts – although it can be. June is National PTSD Awareness Month. Take a few minutes out of your month to educate yourself. The National Center for PTSD is an excellent place to start and I’m making it easy for you by including a couple of links.

I’m glad you stopped by for the big unveiling of my new space. It’s certainly a more comfortable place for us to sit around and chat about topics that aren’t always easy. Let me know what you think.