A quiet Thanksgiving weekend leads to reflections on loneliness, the feeling of being “optional,” and why the wasteland of Fallout sometimes feels more comforting than real life. Surgery recovery, complicated emotions, and a glitchy new update all blend into one simple truth: even in chaos, we find who stands by us.
Tag: Recovery
Empathy, Pain, and a Midnight Scorched Attack
A 3:30 a.m. flare-up turns into an unexpected lesson in empathy, pain management, and the strange parallels between real-life recovery and surviving the Wasteland. Sometimes even nurses need a refresher in giving a damn.
Shoulder to Shoulder With Mortality
Getting older means realizing death is no longer something that happens to “other people.” After surgery and reflection, I find myself thinking about mortality, regret, and the strange comfort of finally being honest about what hurts — and what doesn’t.
The Weight That Never Leaves
Even after bariatric surgery, the hardest weight to lose isn’t physical—it’s the one that lives in your head. This reflection explores the lingering scars of body image, the echoes of past criticism, and the lifelong work of learning to see yourself with kindness.