So The Ginger Writes

1. Learn to drive a stick. Do it. I promise you WILL use it someday. 2. Always go out in public dressed like you're going to meet the love of your life. Also, if you die, that's the outfit your ghost will be wearing for the rest of it's life. At least one of those should be pretty strong motivation for you. 3. At-home, DIY piercings are not the best idea. 4. Same goes for haircuts. 5. And tattoos. It doesn't matter how bad your impulse issues are, please find some other destructive outlet that maybe isn't as permanent and potentially toxic. 6. Take LOTS of pictures.With people. Of people. Places. Firsts and lasts. I've never regretted taking too many pictures, but I have regretted missed shots. 7. If it takes more than 2 tries to open a door, you're doing something wrong. Or the door is locked. And if it's locked, maybe you shouldn't be trying to open it. Maybe it's a bathroom. And maybe someone's crying in the bathroom and doesn...

     If you've ever paid close attention to my outfits, you'll notice that everyday, no matter the occasion, I have a little gold starfish pinned to my clothes. Most often kept close to my collar-I always have it on. I don't care if it seems to match or not. At the start of every day, I pin it on and it stays on until I change at the end of the day.      Several people have noticed this pin and asked me about it.  If the situation deems appropriate I relay the following story- "As an old man walked the beach he saw a boy picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. He asked the boy why. The boy answered that the starfish would die if left on the beach. Confused, the old man said, "But the beach goes on for miles and there are thousands of starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The boy looked at the starfish in his hand, tossed it into the water and said, "Made a difference for that one.""      So I wear the starfi...

Alrighty folks, who's ready for story-time? Here goes-      I recently made the beautiful 17-hour drive from an undisclosed location, over to Utah. It was a stunningly scenic route. The mountains and cabins and rich autumn colors. But it was also a little boring. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE road-tripping! But after about 14 hours of driving on the same endless, winding, one-lane road, I was struggling to remain focused. A little bit of background info you should know first- -My car has no cruise control. I learned very early in my driver-hood that it's really not that hard to just switch feet. It takes a little practice at the beginning as not to be a little jerky, but it's doable. -No lectures please, but I'm not a fan of seat belts. They are scratchy and restricting, and make me feel like I can't breathe. So I don't often wear one. -I like to read (trust me it's valid info for the story).      So there I was driving along the beauti...

"This is your badness level. It's unusually high for someone your size." -Lilo      Lilo and Stitch is by far my favorite Disney movie.It has been for a long time. And the main reason for that is Stitch. He's evil, and adorable, and gross, and quirky. As a kid I always thought that he was kind of annoying, but I still liked him. Like in school there's always the kid who is just absolutely annoying and immature, but you still think they're alright. And they end up growing on you a little until the two of you are weird besties for life. Yeah, that's pretty much my feelings towards Stitch. I realized that might be because as I have gotten older I have begun to notice several similarities between Stitch and I. Over the past couple weeks, I've watched the movie at least 6-7 times (it's a go-to when I'm needing a little mood-booster) and as I've done so, I've listed out what Experiment 626 and I have in common. 1) Attitude. Borders be...

     I don't know if this is really much of a blog article compared to maybe a journal entry, but here goes anyway.      I'm sitting in my room, for the 3rd week in a row with no social plans. No friends to spend time with. Too scared to go anywhere by myself.      Don't get me wrong, I have friends, but not really "hang out" friends. We'll text and we'll see each other at church on Sunday's, but not much else. And I'd love to spend time with them outside of church, but I'm not really sure how to initiate. Or even if they'd be interested. So here I sit. Overwhelmed by a suffocating sense of loneliness. Scared to reach out to anyone for fear of being burdensome.      My social life and my friends. Just a couple of the many things that my eating disorder has taken from me.      In this very moment, I am very motivated to seek out recovery options again. I stopped getting help about 7 weeks ago. Again. Partly o...

I am an introvert. I have severe social anxiety. But no, I am not anti-social. Sound contradictory? Let me explain:      I am an introvert. I get my energy and feel most at home in a small, close-knit social group. I thrive in one-on-one conversation and interaction, but can also enjoy small group activities within my comfort zone. I tend to avoid huge parties, or being in large groups of people.      I have severe social anxiety. Introducing myself to groups of people makes my heart race. The thought of walking late into an activity, and feeling like everyone is looking at me, physically makes me dizzy. Going out in public (grocery store, museums, malls...) alone is not even an option in my mind because I become so petrified that I start to shake.      I remember being four years old, getting ready to go onstage for a 6 minute role I had in the community theater's production of The King and I. This was dress rehearsal, and there wou...

     Adventure. My favorite word is adventure. I've always had this idea that when you call something an adventure, it makes it sound more exciting. And I am more apt to go into it willingly and with an open mind if it sounds exciting. It doesn't matter what it is. Walmart? No no, it's a Shopping Adventure. Therapy/Treatment-Recovery Adventure. Work-Employment Adventure. In all honesty, I probably use word incorrectly sometimes and bother people with the excessive amount of which I say it. I am always down for an adventure. Most often in the form of road trips.      Road trips are the best medication. Pack a little bag, gas up the car and drive wherever my little heart desires. It has the perfect ratio of soul music, personal space, beautiful scenery, and thinking time. Interstate highways, dirt paths, county roads, or city streets, it never really matters as long as I'm moving. I love road trips so much in fact, that I keep a tote bucket in my car trunk l...