Please keep dealing them out, WS. Because they're helpful, and you are worth the work, too.

Thanks, all. I truly appreciate the discussion we're able to have in here, because I can't have it with anyone else right now.

It's a banner year for me at work, but I'm a wreck worrying about next year's goals. I'm tired of being on the road--the travel isn't always fun. I'm realizing I'm not happy in PA, especially since the election. I love my family, but there is such a thing as living too close, which makes me feel like a bad daughter. Relationship-wise? I'm not sure, and that worries me. I don't know if it's because I'm unhappy with the other parts of my life, or if I'm unhappy with the relationship itself.

It's funny, half the time I deal out these kinds of pep talks, I find myself thinking, "oh crud, now I have to do what I just told them to do."

Yeah, I do that to myself too.

I'm back to my "regularly scheduled life". Denver Comic Con is over - lots of long days and some hard decisions, but lots of highlights and I'm already looking forward to next year. Shoot, in August I've already committed myself to helping with a much smaller Con.

But now it is back to work, catching up on being out for a week during a holiday shortened week, so this is going to be..."fun". But I'm on a break from school for a couple of weeks, my "granddaughter" is off with her mom for about 10 days, and my calendar is blissfully empty. Time to get back to my healthy eating habits and restart my gym routine.

For those of you in Hogwarts Running Club - can I count my 40+ miles that I walked during the Con against my virtual races?

Sounds like you had a fabulous time, Suzi. Another friend of mine attended, and she raved about the experience.

Enjoy your downtime, and rest.

Thanks so much for the therapist locator link. Super helpful tool.

Also, all my love to everyone struggling and all my respect for those who have worked/are working so hard through it.

My brother and SiL are home for 2 weeks, and my brother's therapist had a (pre-planned) Skype session with him today, because they agreed that my brother couldn't get through 2 weeks with our family without at least 1 therapy session. That therapist is PURE GOLD.

Damn, that's dedication, Steph. I hope that the time home hasn't been overly fraught for him. I'm glad to hear he's doing well.

I hope that the time home hasn't been overly fraught for him.

It's been a little stressful because of things beyond his control, but he's managing pretty well (we went to the shooting range, and that seemed to help). He was pretty frazzled today, so it's a good thing he had his Skype session planned for today. I don't know if he has one planned for next week (they're here until at least the 13th).

That's a tough spot, Maria. I hope you find some clarity on some of all that.

I've turned off notifications. TH left the group today, claiming the only support seen was in messages and people didn't have her back when she was being bullied. I saw people bending over backwards to try to soothe her feelings of being attacked all over the place while the people who were angry at her had their issues ignored and dismissed. And they're the bullies? Her leaving has meant others leaving in solidarity. Which I understand, honestly, but also...

Aargh. The whole "I said upfront I don't care to read the comments so I'll just drop this bomb here and now you can't call me on it because I SAID I didn't bother to get the context" holy fucking jebus.

I hope it's not annoying to others but I'm really glad to see the discussion here and some reflection of my own reactions.

It's been a little stressful because of things beyond his control,

That is one thing I try to work on, and never seem to make much progress with. It gives me anxiety, knowing I can't do a damn thing about those things.

I'd like to find some clarity. A lot of this has come about because of friends going through their own issues, and I don't know if it's opening my eyes or I'm being too empathetic and seeing things that aren't really there in my own life. Work hasn't done the normal summer slowdown, and I feel like I'm struggling to keep up in everything.

I hope it's not annoying to others but I'm really glad to see the discussion here and some reflection of my own reactions.

Ditto. I was truly concerned I was being tone-deaf and dismissive, thereby epitomizing the worst of white privilege and fragility.