Describing a nightmare can make it dissolve

Thank you all SO much for your virtual hugs this week. I really needed them, and I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me.

I’ve spent the past few days facing my fears and doubts. When I’m vulnerable, I really do get angry. Oh, man, do I.

I’m trying to channel all that angst into something positive. I’ve written letters and talked to the cops. I’ve stopped people on my street to talk and joined my local Neighborhood Watch.

I was doing some reading online tonight (yeah, like every night!) that led me to this Los Angeles Times review of Bad Mother, A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace, Ayelet Waldman.

It was this quote that finally reminded me that I HAVE to get this book, which I’ve wanted to read since last summer:

“Because motherhood is all about fear — warding it off, facing it, explaining it away, dealing with it in the middle of the night (yours, theirs, everyone’s). Bad Mother… is about facing your fears, your mistakes, your shortcomings, openly and honestly — in that wonderful way that describing a nightmare can make it dissolve.”

Thank you ALL for helping me make that nightmare dissolve. (Today, a friend kindly pointed out that those guys didn’t actually ROB my home — there was no a confrontation or fight. Instead, they were just some heartless burglars who will get caught.)

Tonight, I went to kick boxing class and mentally kicked some butt. My adrenaline has slowed to a regular pulse. So, here I am, feeling stronger than ever. I’m remembering what really matters: love, laughter, family, friends, your child’s smile, tenderness. And more, right?

Read the book! Single Mom Seeking is a tell-all about how to date and remain a dedicated and involved parent. It’s a spunky, sexy, and moving chronicle of the humor, pitfalls, and rewards of balancing it all — single-mom style.

Tagged as: Dating, fear, love, moving on, scared, strength, vulnerable