Squidoo Miscellany

What a week! So grateful! I went from publishing on Sunday, to a Purple Star on Tuesday, to Lens of the Day today.

Homeless In America features photographs by Tom Stone from his American Poverty set at Flickr. A week or so ago, I wrote Tom to ask for (and received) permission to profile some of his images on a lens.

My emotions have been going all over the place ever since. I even ended up literally bawling while reading the lens to my husband. It seems that the act of saying the words out loud left me incapable of fighting the feelings it evokes.

AlishaV wrote a comment on the lens about Tom’s greatest gift — “acknowledging their existence.” Don’t you know that’s the truth!

The accolades are great, but what are we left with? …What can we do?

Getting more personal is always hard for me. Living the life I led as a child, there was always something to “keep under my belt.” There was a lot of shame. So, I learned to be non-forthcoming.

I also learned that if my mom and dad were fighting, and I ran screaming in terror for an adult to stop them, that adult might try to “cop a feel” enroute to the “rescue.” I learned, in more ways than one, to stay “out of reach.”

Then, as an adult, I learned that anything I did or said could be held in stock, taken out of context, and be used against me at the opportune moment.

So, re-inforcements galore in my little journey.

That is why all of my offline friends are practically vetted before acceptance into my small world!

That is why I composed a quote that I sell at CafePress on a magnet (above). Yes, it has resonated with quite a few of my customers.

We are what we experience. What’s yours?