(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) I looked up at the clock, surprised to see that four hours had passed. I had paint in my hair, under my nails and on my favorite jeans…and I felt much, much better. I looked at the explosion of colors and patterns on the canvas before me and as always ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) I can’t breathe. It’s too much. EVERYTHING is too much…it wasn’t until those words floated desperately through my mind that I realized that I have been on emotional auto pilot for at least a month. The system can only take so many big, dramatic changes before it becomes the ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) Life is complex. Dynamic. Messy. Filled with the depth that comes only from human experience. It cannot be defined in bumper stickers or Facebook memes. Our scars bear witness to our struggles. Our pain can inform our choices without defining them. Our joy can heal our wounds without erasing them. Our failures are ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) I’m out of stuff to clean. Dishes done. Bathroom’s done. I even scrubbed the tub. I hate cleaning. There is little scope for imagination in it. Still, in times of great stress, I find the lack of whimsy in cleaning a toilet to be oddly calming. Chair ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire!) So far, this holiday season has brought a whirlwind road trip to see my family over Thanksgiving weekend, an emergency surgery for my Dad, a root canal for my boyfriend, and an announcement from my eighty-nine-year-old Grandma that my Grandfather was a wonderful lover. And it is not even ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) Everyone has a story. It’s such a truth. I don’t understand how people can be so cruel to someone that they don’t even know. Those were my thoughts as I read the comments with a growing sense of horror and despair on an online news article. It wasn’t the ... [Read More]
(By Corey Rotella, CNA Extraordinaire) Vulnerability: being open or susceptible to being wounded or hurt…the textbook definition alone is enough to make me wince. SUCH an uncomfortable feeling. I am not a shrinking violet. No one would describe me as delicate, dainty or fragile. I never dreamed of the day my ... [Read More]
(Written by guest blogger Corey Anne Rottella) “We are who we pretend to be, so we must be careful who we pretend to be”. One of my favorite quotes by my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut. It is a truth worth bearing in mind. We live in a society that thrives on comparing ourselves to others. ... [Read More]
(Another great guest post by Corey Rotella!) “HELLOOOOO FOOD LION!!! It’s so good to be Baaaack!!!!!”, I announced as I walked through the automatic doors. It’s my modus operandi to dramatically announce my arrival at that particular store. Thaddeus, Marcus, Kia…the workers there are no longer surprised by my antics but there was a time ... [Read More]