#and I’ll talk about things like the best times to post and how to utilize the tagging system!

[birdsandbeetlesandmoths]

So. Sonic 3. That was. certainly. hoo boy *collapses to the sound of a metal pipe falling*

Spoilers and thoughts under cut (LONG POST)

Well, my pre-movie post was SO WRONG. I think most stobotnik fans were, thinking that Stone would be the one dying. I- truly wasn’t expecting it.

I’ll get back to that in a second, let me get all of my silly things out of the way/the things i was hype about/had to crush my partner and friend’s hands about while witnessing.

The antics between Gerald and Ivo were expected but oh my GOD JIM CARREY. you are a national treasure, have fun in retirement. we will miss you greatly, but this being your final movie (probably) is a great thing to culminate your absolutely stunning career.

Anyway, their dance sequence was fucking insane, and as much as I was cringing, I was grinning through it too. The fight on the Eclipse cannon was also questionable BUT HOLY FUCK NOW I GET THE PRAYING MANTIS/FLY REFERENCE. (Thank god it wasn’t directly about stone and robotnik but i’m already cooking how i can connect them). Spanking? Also in my Sonic movie. But yeah.

Gerald and Ivo could never be more alike in intellect, but different in morals. Evident through Gerald’s fixation on avenging his daughter with no remorse or thought for whoever will get in the way, throwing away Ivo and the whole of the world as a result). He’s willing to kill himself, but as Shadow says and believes, that isn’t what Maria would have wanted.

I used to not like the Wachowskis. I was already a little unsettled when the first movie released by the fact that characters unrelated to previous Sonic media were being utilized as major plot elements, but during the second and third movies, I began to absolutely love them.

This third movie cemented that love. The father-son relationship between Tom and Sonic specifically. My heart was aching in the first scene at their little campsite, Happy BEarthday, and their heart-to-heart in Sonic’s old cave, talking about Choice (an analysis incoming) and that you always have a choice, and that your lungs (heart) will help you find the right one.

I think this movie might’ve done. One of the best jobs of displaying found family. The sibling relationship between Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic was the most heartrendingly beautiful and achingly real thing I’ve seen in a while. And it really hits you, the fact that they’re kids.

And the amount of silly little jokes, Tails having his gadgetry and Knuckles with his blunt personality, Sonic tying them all together with his wit and charm, it all became slightly surreal to see. To see something so happy, so delicately real.

Oh my god, on the trio, Knuckles saving both Sonic and Tails from falling to Earth. I was gasping that whole time, truly being sent into the moment. Movies and media rarely do that to me in the emotional sense.

AND AS FOR SHADOW AND MARIA

Holy fuck at least I was right about that part in my pre-movie wishes. I thought it was interesting how they adapted it, and it definitely made for it to be slightly more believable and less complicated.

But oh my gosh them. Skating around the lab, messing around together, introducing Shadow to that great 70s music and dancing, watching movies together and just being kids!! And don’t even get me started on the rooftop scene. Shadow was so vulnerable and self-conscious, and Maria comforted him in a way that touched me. Understands him in a way that no one else ever has, as everyone else only saw him as the experiment and the subject, while she saw him as his own person, with thoughts and emotions and curiosities.

It paralleled Sonic and Tom in the cinematography too, and the sentiment was all the same. That Shadow can choose who he wants to be. (I Am All I Am and Choice. Trust, it’s coming soon)

Maria and Shadow made me unbearably happy. It was all I could’ve ever asked for and more.

Shadow and Sonic were an absolutely crazy duo this show. Dude, in their fight versus each other? Both going Super and absolutely going at it, and Shadow having the absolute gall to accuse Sonic of not caring about his friends, that he was clearly here alone because he abandoned them, and mention Tom, which caused Sonic to go completely over the edge, and actually punch him straight into space and lose his Super.

Sonic and Shadow reconciling over their shared feeling of grief, Sonic sharing his pain, emphasizing the love that will be able to help them heal, Shadow reciprocating, and then Shadow remembering Maria after looking up at the stars, realizing, from Sonic’s words, that this truly wasn’t what Maria wanted, just that whole moon scene between them is living in my head rent free and I need to see it over and over again.

HOLYYY SHIT THEY PLAYED LIVE AND LEARN WHEN SUPER SONIC AND SUPER SHADOW TEAMED UP AND BEAT THE EVER LIVING FUCK OUT OF THOSE ROBOTS. Me and my friends were going so fucking insane in that theater.

Shadow remembering Maria (possibly for the last time) as he sacrifices himself to push the Eclipse cannon away from the place that Maria loved. Remembering all of the good moments, the love between them, that is all he wanted if he was going to leave the world for good. (Well, I mean, he’s still alive, but the amnesia route is still optional)

Sonic actually going slightly insane this movie was also very interesting to watch. His absolute- like, his vision went RED when Shadow mentioned Tom. That was what set him OFFFF. His abuse of the Master Emerald and even threatening his own best friends/siblings over this— god the emphasis of choice in this film I want to sob.

Also, yall already KNOW I WAS BALLING ABOUT THE AKIRA SLIDE, SNAPCUBE REFERENCES, AND EVERY TIME SHADOW BREATHED OR MOVED. Literally could not contain myself from absolutely sob-cry-screaming at Shadow and (Keanu did a great job btw) his entire story, his joy with Maria and his pain all after. (His Super form looked fuck beautiful, a new colorful hue every time I saw it)

All in all, Robotniks were hilarious, Maria and Shadow were beautifully tragic and just generally so so SO adorable and loving. I’m so glad that Tails and Knuckles got more serious appreciation and screen time this movie as well, because as much as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were sidelined in this movie (to put forth Robotniks and Shadow, understandably so), it still felt more fulfilling and real than in the second movie. Super forms continue to be beautiful onscreen, I would like to collapse and die from hearing ONE OK ROCK and Live and Learn.

AHEM. Now, clearly, I will be making a separate post solely about Stobotnik. Along with the multiple Stone-centric fics burning a hole in my brain and the choice and grief analyses awaiting my attention. Bear with me as I have SO MANY THOUGHTS.

We won. . . but at what cost.

My friends, my partner, you already know. We died and were promptly revived together in that theater.

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 17

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here.

First - Prev - Next

CH.17

“Hey specs, can I get a favour?”

“What’s that?”

“Can you drive me into town?”

“What for?”

��The hot water shut off two days ago, and PhD still hasn’t paid the water bill. So fuck it, I lifted his wallet and we’re gonna do it for him.”

“Did you talk to Stanford about this?”

“I told him as soon as the water went cold. He said he’d get to it, and look where we are. Either cold water doesn’t bother him, or he actually doesn’t shower… I’d believe that second thing.”

“We could just drag him out.”

“He fell asleep at his desk, we’re good.”

“And you’re just going to claim to be him to the utility companies?”

“I’ll stuff my hair into my beanie. You two are always going on about how similar we look and how we ‘have the same face’.”

“I suppose he’s so reclusive the townsfolk don’t know him that well…”

“Besides, I can do a pretty good impression of him.”

“You can?”

“Sounds kinda rough because I used to smoke, but yeah. Wanna hear?”

“Sure.”

“‘I’m a total maniac who lives in the middle of nowhere in the woods, I love being a massive nerd’.”

“...Wow, that’s so close. It’s unnerving actually. I kindly ask that you never do that again if you’re not impersonating him.”

“So you’re down for going into town?”

“Yes sirree. The lack of hot water was bothering me too.”

(...)

“You know, I’m used to people giving me the stink eye, but I didn’t think your friend was so disliked by the general public too.”

“Stanford doesn’t have the easiest time forming bonds with others.”

“Colour me surprised.”

“He explained to me that due to his less than stellar history of paying his bills on time, and these strange ‘episodes’ he’ll have every so often, the town generally considers him to be a menace.”

“Ha! Guess we do have something in common, after all.”

“...I don’t think that’s the only thing.”

“Hey, what’s with all the costumes? Is there a festival or something going on?”

“Oh, right; you don’t know. The townsfolk were explaining to me the other week that Gravity Falls loves Halloween so much that they celebrate it twice a year; Halloween on October 31st, and Summerween on June 20th.”

“Should we have stocked up on some candy or something?

“Stanford said not to worry about it; his cabin is so isolated no one would go over there to trick-or-treat.”

“Ah, no fun. Wait; there’s no rush to head back, we should hit a couple of bars, maybe sneak into a Summerween party or two.”

“I don’t know, Stan...”

“Come on. We’ll even get some lame costumes, get in the spirit of things. I still owe you that apology drink.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to take you up on that offer then, big boy.”

*Stan elbows him in the ribs and looks away*

“Why do ya gotta say something like that?”

“Did you just turn red?”

“No.”

“Sure darlin, I’ll believe you if you can say that again looking me in the eye.”

(...)

“Oh my aching cervical spine- I don’t remember putting this blanket on myself.” 

*Ford gets up with his desk and walks out of his room, looking around*

‘It’s quiet.’

‘Where did those two go?’

‘They’re most likely together, I did not think they’d become such good friends in such a short amount of time, but I suppose it’s preferable over them being at odds.’

‘A note? …They went into town to run a few errands. Very well. I hope Stanley behaves himself. My reputation isn’t the best already.’

‘Did Fiddleford rearrange my shelves again? I know he means well, but I’d prefer to know where my belongings are.’

‘Those letters? Looks like he arranged them by sender alphabetically, which is considerate of him… I suppose I have nothing better to do than to finally read them, see what the fuss was about a year ago.’

‘...Condolences?’

‘With deepest sympathy…?’

‘Sorry for your loss?’

‘Thoughts and prayers?’

‘This- this article? That- that can’t be right! Why would they think-?!’

*door opens and Stan and Fiddleford stumble in laughing; Stan is wearing a werewolf costume and Fiddleford is in a vampire costume*

"'-only one thing To do now, Stan', and she pulls out a gun too. 'Agent Powers's got a fucking gun? So will I'. And then they just have a shootout in the middle of the street."

“Your stories get more and more wiley every time Stan. Hey Stanford! Sorry we were out for so- hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, you’re looking pretty pale PhD.”

“I- I-... I need to go. I need to- I need to call someone.”

*Ford grabs the box of letters and practically runs back to his study, slamming and locking the door*

“I hope he’s okay…He’s looking as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

“Yeah, it’s not like our costumes are that scary.”

(...)

RING

RING

RING

RING

CLICK

“Do you have any idea what time it-.”

“Ma!”

“Oh, Stanford darling. What’s wrong?”

“Ma, why did all of my colleagues send me condolence letters?”

“...Sweetheart-.”

“Why is there a newspaper article stating that Stanley died in a car accident?! Ma, why would-!”

“Stanford, I know the grieving process is different for everyone…”

“It’s all lies!”

“But you need to accept what happened…”

“He isn’t dead!”

“It’s been over a year, Stanford! When you didn’t come to his funeral, I knew you weren’t handling the shock and pain the same as the rest of us… How could you? He was your twin, the other half of your whole. But denial like this isn’t healthy.”

“I’m not-. He is not-. There wasn’t even a body!”

“It was destroyed in the fire… Just ash.”

“How could you be so sure!? This is your own son-.”

“The car landed in a ravine, Stanford! Stanley.. Oh my poor free spirit, I wanted so badly to believe that maybe he escaped but… the only way out of the ravine was to climb out, and Stanley was terrified of heights…”

OREGON COMMUNITY WATCH STAN PINES DEAD  FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED IN PINES' DEATH. The flaming wreckage of a wrecked car was found in a ditch four miles from Highway 618 at 6 a.m. Monday morning. The cut breaks and odd location of the car suggest that this was no accident. Says a rookie cop, "Mighty suspicious. Mighty suspicious." In other news, leg warmers all the rage this week and we predict this style will go on forever.

To be continued…

[honeyhotteoks]

I read your post about rigger yunho and just wanted to say I’m learning shibari now. If you have questions or need resources for the fic or just for your own exploration let me know here and I’ll DM you. There’s a lot of good resources but also a lot of people out there who don’t know what they’re doing, and it’s hard to figure out what’s what……… also for my own curiosity I have to ask what you’re working on that you think you won’t publish? I know a lot of us would be open to new stuff from you

oh!! that would be amazing and my DMs are absolutely open. i have some questions and some things to work through as i workshop that i’d love to run by someone with hands on experience.

as far as the fics…. honestly i have a lot of short work and long work that i write for myself usually to work through something through the lens of safe and comfortable characters.

click under the cut for more, but cw for SA and how and why i write this -

for rigger!yunho, i’ve been exploring the idea of assault and belief for victims in risk aware consensual kink spaces, and what it would mean to have boundaries pushed or completely ignored in ways that leave you grappling with your own relationship to consent, kink, sex, and the body.

i find writing these arcs out to be really helpful to me, seeing things ive personally struggled with or tried to understand through the lens of fiction and with characters i can write myself.

a little over two years ago i had a personal experience with attempted sa. it’s not something i talk about frequently, but i think i mentioned it on this blog before when discussing why i wrote the assault arc of tnt. i was cornered by a male coworker (who i thought was a friend) on a work trip after getting drinks together and it was an experience where he tried to use my own openness to talk about things against me. he was persistent, said things i wish i could unhear, and tried to get me into his hotel room. it was honestly pretty scary, and even though i made it back to my room safely, i then had another year of navigating a report that went poorly.

i quickly became labeled as a slut and had to leave a job i loved. it’s probably one of the worst experiences of my life, and i still have a feeling that it could have been so much worse. it’s taken me years to just stop hearing his voice whenever certain things happen or when im touched in certain ways.

writing that attempted assault in tnt was a safe way to explore this for me.

at the same time, i’ve spent the past two years thinking about how people who are open about sex or who have more “hard” kinks often have their boundaries ignored. not just in the concept of no limits, but of abusers who utilize the mask of kink to enact harm.

while the man who hurt me was a coworker, and completely removed from a kink context, there was something in the way he spoke to me about sex and boundary pushed that reminded me of things i’ve seen in kink spaces. a slow but unsafe push into deep waters, something selfish and dehumanizing.

this is all to say… i’ve been getting a lot of that out of my system via fic and with the idea of rigger!yunho because it’s a way to process those feelings and that complexity with someone safe.

the reason i don’t feel like i can publish it though…. is more complicated. it is personal, of course, but it’s more than i have complicated feelings about rape/recovery arcs. i enjoy them as a reader, and often seek them out in romance if im being honest, but they are also often problematic and im aware of that. i’ve never wanted to contribute to “tragedy porn” so to speak, or the idea of a white knight / wounded bird narrative….. but i also genuinely enjoy reading those and writing those when well done.

i’ve always tried my best to curate a space here that’s safe for my readers, particularly when it comes to SA. i don’t want to ignore the reality that SA exists and is something we have to navigate in the world (especially as women) but i also worry about perpetuating something negative even in fanfiction.

ultimately… i don’t know if it’s something my readers would want to engage with, and even if it’s something i could publish and feel confident in because it’s very hard, very messy, and very much like recovery.

i’ve always had complex feelings on rape/recovery arcs, but for me personally good ones have helped me navigate what happened to me, what’s happened to friends and loved ones in my life, and brought me comfort. but who i am as a reader and a writer feel different.

i know this might be a lengthy answer you didn’t really need… i just wanted to explain and to share a bit.

if anyone has thoughts, of course my ask box, dms, and replies here are open. if anyone’s reading this and you’ve been through an experience with SA, you’re not alone and i love you.

[izunias-meme-hole]

Since you’ve been doing a fair amount of Batman posting, mind if you list your favorite members of the Gotham Rouges?

Okay. I’ll list about 10 of my faves, though we’ll be counting backwards here.

Also I'll be listing the variations of my faves whom I like the most to make things clearer.

Number 10. Poison Ivy (B:TAS) - If we're talking about character alone, this is the blueprint for literally every present day version of Poison Ivy, however this specific incarnation of the character has aged pretty well. She's every bit the dangerous eco-warrior that she makes herself out to be and will gladly turn someone into a tree for bulldozing a forest, but there is still a level of humanity to her character much like half the villains in the show.

Number 9. Mr. Freeze (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - I feel like this is a "to the surprise of absolutely nobody" moment, but come on! Mr. Freeze here not only was made into a more tragic character compared to his early comic counterpart, but he actually had a whole arc across the entirety of B:TAS which ended at Batman Beyond. Victor Fries was a scientist trying to save his wife, Nora, from a rare disease, so he put her into a cryopod to preserve her until he found a cure. Then he and Nora were almost killed, but Nora was still kept on ice, while Victor got turned into a literal cold hearted monster. Even after Nora was finally cured, Victor was forever unable to be with her due to his own condition worsening to the point where he was just a head in a jar, angry with the world. A couple of decades later, and he is given a new body by the Wayne Powers CEO, Derek Powers, and while things were finally going well at first and Victor was reforming as soon as he had the chance, things went horribly wrong again, resulting in Victor dying as Mr. Freeze. I may have missed some details here, but yeah that's a summary of this sad ice man.

Number 8. Dr. Crane/Scarecrow (Nolan Trilogy) - Crane wasn't a big villain in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but my god Cillian Murphy does a great job with the character. Like I wish that his supervillain outfit wasn't just a bag over his face, but Scarecrow manages to be quite the dangerous loon with a mask of sanity in Batman Begins, an active member of the underworld in The Dark Knight, and the guy actively sending folks to their deaths in The Dark Knight Rises. Could we have had more of him? Yes. Did he use up his screen time well? Absolutely. Though his fear toxin could've been infinitely wilder.

Number 7. The Phantasm (B:TAS but movie) - The Phantasm is the literal best darker counterpart to Batman a lot of levels.

Number 6. Harley Quinn (B:TAS yet again) - The minor side villainess turned breakout character of the show. If anyone has seen B:TAS and then seen the rest of the media she's in, then you know why this is the best version of her. A good amount of things about the character being based around her actress (R.I.P Arleen Sorkin), her interactions with half the cast, Peak HarIvy content, the best representation of how bad her situation with her abusive ex was, and the perfect mixture between being a not-so-great-person and a precious lil' thing who deserves better.

Number 5. Harvey Dent, Two-Face, & The Judge (B:TAS) - The first well developed Two-Face, and the definitive. I mean he was never a bad villain, but the character was never utilized to the fullest like he was in B:TAS. Harvey Dent was a good guy with an other half that was the literal manifestation of his bottled up anger, an anger that turned into something else entirely after the left side of his face got blown off. Now Harvey and his other half start their own crusade to eradicate organized crime by taking it over from within. In other words, Two-Face here wanted to originally wanted to achieve something good through something bad, and yes a lot of it is due to a fair coin flip. However Harvey began to disagree with some of the shit his other half was getting up to, and as a result developed a third personality that was so separate from both himself and Two-Face that it tried killing both of them and, by extension, himself. This third entity would end up being The Judge, a ruthless, wraith-like vigilante with a judge's attire. So after being detained in Arkham for good, all three Harvey's are literally stuck with each other, and in a spin-off comic set directly after that whole situation with The Judge, Two-Face was given another double headed coin that would constantly come up on the "good side," and spent a lot of time dismantling his criminal enterprise, before doing (another) suicide attempt. This take on Two-Face was something else.

Number 4. Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham) - If I were to list everything that this smug snake has done, along with some of the shit that happened to him, we'd be here all day. However, this is the most well characterized iteration of The Penguin that we've ever had, in my humble opinion.

Number 3. Catwoman (Batman Returns) - I'm dying on this hill gentlemen. Despite not being... anything like her comic counterpart, outside of name, confidence, etc, Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina is something great in her own right.

Number 2. The Riddler (The Batman 2022) - Turning the Riddler into a a catholic, terrorist, cult leader that looked up to a young and angry Year-Two Batman, while also keeping the core elements of his character the same is something I'll never stop praising. He's still intelligent, he's still creative, he's still on the verge of breakdowns when his ego is badly damaged, etc.

Number 1. The Joker (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - This is a "to the surprise to absolutely nobody" moment, though in this case I cannot be blamed. B:TAS understood the assignment and provided the definitive iteration of The Joker, completely inspired by his early comic appearances and some elements from Jack Nicholson's take on the character. An ex-mafiosi turned Clown Prince of Crime that lives to only spread misery across Gotham in the most creative way possible with a smile on his face. That was the idea that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm ran with when conceptualizing this bastard, and they just explored the concept for all its worth. Not only that, but this was the first time that Mark Hamill ever voiced this bastard, and it was just perfect casting. Overall, nostalgia got me to re-examine this take on the character, and I can easily say that without a doubt, this is the best Joker.

[oswlld]

oswlld's monthly wrap up: april

note: i am trying something a bit different this year, so bear with me as i figure out how i want to format this. i wanted to spend more time sharing what i consume, beyond what i rb, and put my thoughts in one place. these posts are okay to rb

--

This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone [started 04/04, finished 04/09] *drags my hands down my face until the end of time* I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I WANT TO MEET YOU!!!! IN EVERY PLACE I EVER LOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4.75⭐️ in storygraph. — Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell [started 04/12, in prog] I am about 100 pages in and still not sure if I want to keep going or DNF it. idk what isn’t sticking because the writing is beautiful and the pacing is great. And I do care about the characters, I really do. I love the way the author borrows from future grief, it’s what I am enjoying most about this read so far. Maybe I’ll give it 50 more pages and see if it finally sticks.

23.5 Degrees, GMMTV [started: 03/08, ongoing] As mentioned, I am caught up on eps 3-8. I’ll likely not be able to watch it live in may but I will be keeping up with the series til the end. It’s so lighthearted and charming! Not sure how they managed this, but I am constantly surprised by the character group dynamics. It’s def due to the great chemistry everyone has with literally everyone. I need NEED to discuss the score of this show because it’s IMMACULATE. The celestial themes, from the props all the way down to the music, is so rich. I’m so excited to see how this story unravels. — Devil’s Plan [started: 04/23, ongoing] This is a bestie pick, a show my best friend chose to have us watch on our facetime calls. We are 1.5 eps in and it’s a grower. The first game is hella complex and we’re slowly picking up on what’s happening. The people on this show are incredibly intelligent, so I feel like I have to work extra hard to keep up. It does feel rewarding, I’m hooked.

Oppenheimer, Peacock [watched on 04/05] I am a self-proclaimed Nolan girlie, I’ll admit it. I do enjoy his work and the many ways he translates time into film. When I wrote this, it had been a few days since I watched it and I still think abt the little moments that blew me away. Moments like the accentuated dust particles, how the coloring of the movie can be an unreliable narrator, and the utilization of a crowded hall stomping their feet to create tension. The last eight minutes still haunts me. I find more value in the technical side of film, but I will give credit when credit is due: every award Cillian Murphy got this season was so well earned. He carried all three hours of that film with such powerful quietude. And lastly, my heart now belongs to Jennifer Lame. Upon seeing her accept the award for Best Film Editing for Oppenheimer, I have come to learn that she also edited Tenet. HER MIND!!! She has such a bright future ahead of her, to be up there with the minds of Thelma Schoonmaker and Anne V Coates. — Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-Fi Film Club [watched on 04/14] This film needs to be studied in film school. It’s incredibly meta in some ways, having renown directors be the subjects, talking about their passion for film. The production being so stylized and the editing feels very reminiscent of Our Beloved Summer, with the way the found footage and the aspect ratios are intertwined with current day quality shots. This film will hit everyone right in the millennial. A true surprise for me is discovering that Bong Joon Ho and I are more alike that I had originally thought. The way he speaks in casual conversation and his story of setting strict rules for their film collection had me hollering because SAME. The most jessi thing he recounted was how all the VHS tapes were labelled. Yellow Door is somehow the opposite of the "doesn’t take itself too seriously" mentality; it’s actually so great that they made the film like that. By fully immersing us with gorgeous cinematography, cheeky editing sequences, and lush music to tug at your heartstrings, it bewitches you into loving film as much as they did. And still do.

Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé [relisten] I’ve given this several good cycles to confirm my first impressions: it’s def one of her most cohesive albums to date and still stands as a spectacular album. This passion project of hers takes such great care and attention to the voices she amplifies. I can feel the hunger, the innate need for her to make this album. If you haven’t heard how this album came to be, I insist you take the time to educate yourselves. It makes the listening experience so much more empowering. Good for her… GOOD. FOR. HER!! Current favs: Ameriican Requiem, 16 Carriages, Bodyguard, Jolene, Spaghettii, Ya Ya, Desert Eagle, II Hands II Heaven, and Sweet/Honey/Buckin’. — Older, Lizzy McAlpine [first time listening] Coming off the heels of my Five Seconds Flat hyperfixation last year, I haphazardly went into Older hoping its a natural progression in production value. I was shocked that it turned out to be a completely different sound. I soon learned that she actually didn’t really like how Five Seconds Flat was produced because it didn’t feel true to her as an artist. Tbh I was feeling a little lost after the first listen but after digesting this new info, I went back into it and appreciated it a lot more. In fact, the third listen was when I realized that it gave off the same energy as Laufey. I’m excited to listen to it again soon. — Stick Season: Forever, Noah Kahan [first time listening] Having stumbled on all the collabs on Alexa earlier this year, Forever was the only new song for me from his latest release. I’m OBSESSED with this song!!!! The way his voice carries the entire weight of every hurt inside me and just takes it away. Something healed in me. I play it in the car every time I leave the house. I cry in the car every time I leave the house. — The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift [first time listening, standard vinyl ed.] I am going to get this out of the way and say that this album is great. Just great. I understand more than ever why she felt the need to make this album. Having only listened to the standard version a couple times and the anthology twice through, I sit here in this kind of… discomfort. And I’m kind of okay with that feeling. But… it pains me that I can’t share this album with some people in my life and it’s largely due to how she depicts her struggles with people with mental illness/addiction. It’s one, if not the biggest, strike I have against this album and by extension, her. Songs cycling in my head: Down Bad, So Long London, Guilty as Sin?, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, loml, imgonnagetyouback, Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, How Did It End?, I Look in People’s Windows, The Prophecy, Peter, and The Manuscript.

EXPO Chicago [attended 04/13] Yes, I am doxxing myself a bit if you didn’t already know. During college, I used to attend EXPO yearly and occasionally went back long after I finished school. I haven’t attended in a long time, so I made it my goal to attend this year. And I had a blast! My mother tagged along and she’s not one to attend shows like this or art museums in general. It was a beautiful day trip to the city and it was nice to have her company. She mostly trailed behind and took pics of me as I floated around the exhibition hall. I have 50+ artists I tracked on my phone to actively research in my spare time. I sat in on one of the panel talks (ON COLOR), discussing color theory in today’s bipoc landscape. I took so much away from that conversation, it was very charged. I'm kinda obsessed with Alteronce Gumby, I need to do an artist deepdive on his work. — Coachella [watched from 04/12 to 04/14] I work for a big tech company and one of the biggest events to be on standby for is Coachella. I had to be on call for Friday and was backup support for Sunday lineups. Thus, Saturday was the only day I could sit back and relax while watching. My first time lineups included: Hatsune Miku, Peso Pluma, Late Night Drive Home, Jon Batiste, Ateez, le Sserafim, Purple Disco Machine, Bleachers, No Doubt, 88rising Futures, and Latin Mafia. Of all of the performances, I want to take a full deep dive into Ateez and Peso Pluma’s discography in the near future.

[gasha40k]

I have unfortunate news. I think that, in the last three months or so, this has unexpectedly become a Khorne blog. I really and truly did not foresee this when I first started posting. No factions really spoke to me on a grander scale, except for my own. But now I’m actually legitimately obsessed with the World Eaters. To be fair, I guess no loyal servants of the Emperor expect their corrupted descent into Chaos ahead of time. The tragedy is always in the lack of foresight, after all. I don’t think my own dark baptism is anything close to a tragedy, though. I’m having a good time with it so far I think.

Got quite a few things to talk about, but first and foremost, I got my hands on some Valhallan Blizzard and finally finished the bases on the few Berzerkers that I have painted. I’m pretty happy with these! The dry brushed stone beneath the snow gives a sufficient enough impression of, like, a rocky, mountainous environ, and the white contrasts really nicely with the red armor and dark ground, I think.

Initially, I was going to really drench the snow with blood—I think you can see that in a few of the bases that I painted first—but I decided against that after seeing how it actually looked. The bloody snow is a neat effect, for sure, but it’s super eye-catching and makes the minis a little noisy when overdone. In the future, I’ll likely save the blood for the more notable or interesting members of my World Eaters army (likely on characters and standout grunts), so as to make them stand out and add a little bit of base variety to the army.

This is my third time painting an Ultramarine, and my second time painting a dead Ultramarine

Lord Akselos, though, gets next to no blood on his base, so as to make him stand out in an inverse fashion. The snowy, mountainous base here represents the frigid crags of Gorranax, the planet upon which Akselos landed after betraying the Ultramarines on Valefar. Gorranax is also where he would first encounter his Berzerker-Surgeon partner, Kastigor Spineripper, who would eventually be responsible for implanting the Butcher’s Nails within Akselos.

I think his base is probably the best of the bunch. The placement of the snow sort of visually balances the black, swooping cape, and adds some interesting color in that bottom right section, which is a spot where the model is otherwise lacking in visual variety. I’m mad happy with this and glad it looks as cool as it does! And with the base finished and his highlights complete (complete enough for me, at least), Akselos is fully finished, and ready for the tabletop!

I say this all the time but I love this sculpt so much, the 2002 Daemon Prince is the most iconic Daemon Prince—the fella from Dawn of War—even if it is pretty silly looking objectively

Speaking of finishing things, my big boy is finally complete. My ugly, ugly son is painted, based, highlighted, and Ready to KILL. This is, by far, the largest non-flyer model that I’ve finished, and while he definitely isn’t the prettiest or best painted model on the planet, I’m really proud of it. I pulled out all the stops on this model and utilized just about everything I’ve learned about miniature painting in the last few years. I also took a good handful of risks and learned a bit from him, too, and despite it being a kind of treacherous and elongated ordeal, it was a super fun experience painting him up, and I’m glad he’s done with. I did, however, lose the hilt of his sword to my carpet, but I’m working on replacing it with a cool little custom skull hilt, which I’ll post eventually, probably.

But with one big boy done, another boy has filled the empty slot in my to-do list with his huge red bod.

Finally got my hands on Angron, the man himself. I can’t quite describe just how obsessed with this model I am. Not only am I excited to have him because he’s one of my favorite characters in the 40k mythos, but he’s also a fucking Primarch—and a strong one at that—which is something I never thought I’d get to have as a custom Chapter player. All in all, I’m incredibly excited to paint this guy up and get him terrorizing my group on the tabletop.

I did have the opportunity to run a test game with my list on TTS a little while ago, which was both my 2nd ever World Eaters game and my 2nd ever 10th Edition game. Lemme just say about Angron: wow. He barreled into the enemy deployment zone in the first turn of BR1 and immediately mauled an Armiger. As a Space Marines player, I’m very used to none of my units being extraordinarily good at destroying shit, but those days are OVER!!!

Since he’s a big ass model, though, it also means that he’ll be a big ass painting project. I plan on making him a proper centerpiece, and after painting my Daemon Prince, I’m totally confident that I can make him look pretty fancy given a few weeks of work. To make that process easier for me, here’s the subassemblies that I’ll be painting him in.

I also got my hands on some Mephiston Red primer, which I’m using to expedite the painting process. As shown above, I’ve primed

My Khorne collection is getting pretty huge. So huge, in fact, that I now own more Khornate shit than Space Marines, both in bodies and points. My Khorne collection contains:

2,115 points of Adeptus Astartes units

59 individual Astartes models

2,995 points of Khorne units

107 individual Khorne models

Dark baptism confirmed. Corpse worshippers malding.

That being said, I’ve been focusing super hard on my World Eaters recently—mostly for economical reasons—but I’d definitely like to shift focus back onto my Astartes soon. There’s a lot of new, cool kits that I want to get my hands on, and a brand new codex, too. Feels neat having gone through an entire edition. Wonder if I could sell my codex from 9th. My current chore is just to paint my men, as per usual. I have some plans for my Thunderbearers that I’ll post about next.

[sorryconky]

a bunch of women lose a race to a male: “haha sucks to suck loser, get good, skill issue, fuck you.”

males faced with the possibility of losing a race to a bunch of men: “this literally cannot be allowed to happen.”

i really can’t get over how simply cruel it is to just completely dismiss high school girls losing sports competitions to males because “they’re just not good enough to deserve it.” did none of these people do sports in high school??? the post i screenshotted was like “the issues people have w this boy winning this girl track race is ridiculous bc he only won by 7 seconds. the world record by a high schooler is 7 seconds faster than that! so he’s not even that good! all these girls just fuckin suck.” like do you have any fucking idea what you’re talking about right now?? you’re talking about childrens sporting events. why do you think we do high school sports? why do you think society bothered to set all that shit up? do you think it’s to set world records? or do you think maybe it’s because being in a sports league is a great way to bond with peers, get physical activity, learn an enjoyable skill, experience the pay off of hard work and determination, and all in all, grow as a person.

I cannot get over how ridiculous it is to bring up the WORLD records when discussing HIGH SCHOOL athletes like do you have any idea how many high school athletes there are in the world? Are you suggesting the only ones who deserve a trophy are the 10 record holders?????

WE DONT GIVE HIGH SCHOOLERS TROPHIES BECAUSE WE JUST LOVE IT WHEN THEY GO FAST. WE DO IT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO TEACH THEM THAT HARDWORK AND SKILL AND TALENT WILL PAY OFF IF CORRECTLY UTILIZED. ITS NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS. ITS ABOUT THE JOY OF COMPETITION AND THE THRILL OF SUCCESS. ITS ABOUT BEING THE BEST AROUND. It’s about beating that snobby team that has twice the funding and four times as many athletes. god.

I did a high school sport and it was huge for my personal development. I gained so much confidence and skill from it. And there was a boys team that we were near often cause the sport had a small field and I’ll tell ya if they were actually on my team, I wouldn’t have gained that confidence. They would have talked over me and harassed me and annoyed me and I probably would have quit. And these people probably would have celebrated that! “You weren’t tough enough or good enough, now you don’t get to do this thing, haha loser.”

[veterantrainerray]

/ooc post time!

I have been aggressively purging my following list off and on for a while. If I see a politically charged, hateful or overly negative post that isn’t something like “I have (insert condition here) and it sucks so I’m gonna vent” I’ve been hitting unfollow without even looking at the URL.

I don’t mind people venting. That on its own is fine, it’s healthy. I can handle people talking about their problems and encounters. I’m just violently sick of the politics. Sick of everyone these days being so mired in political discourse that they end up easily manipulated by the politicians. Sick of the people who take every opportunity to turn a topic into a political issue when before they chime in it’s just an anecdote. But if I go any further on that topic, I’m liable to get into hypocritical territory, so let’s leave that there. Of particular note, however, I am fine with FICTIONAL politics as long as they they do not mirror or depict real world figures, events or purely political problems (I’m not gonna get bent out of shape if someone mentions the Devon Corporation doing something morally ambiguous at best or talks about the Umbrella Corporation or something) so don’t worry about that.

Once I’m very sure I’ve fully purged the follow list I’ll get back into the swing of things writing Ray. Gonna frame the blog’s activity as him being on the tail end of his recovery from his traumatic leg injury and getting back into everything himself.

The following is addressed directly to this blog’s followers.

As an apology to everyone who has waited, as I see my follower count hasn’t gone down and many of you are still active on my dash despite the purging, here’s a little insight on Ray as a character.

First off, he shares my age, birthday, and many of my beliefs, but he’s not strictly a self insert. He’s more like… What I could’ve been had the circumstances been different. I don’t think myself or Ray are definitively the better person, to be clear.

Second, his knee injury was written so he’d better mirror my own left knee. I have to wear a brace under my uniform at work and often use a wooden cane to get around at home, and decided that representing the use of such utility aids may help others like me feel seen… I don’t personally get much from seeing my struggles represented, as I have very close friends who make me feel understood, but others don’t have my good fortune and I want to remind them that someone out there gets it.

The twins were originally an experiment in writing good female characters for me. I wanted to see if I could capture a sense of femininity in such vastly different women, and I feel like that’s gone pretty well. Maya is a more “traditional” depiction of a woman being feminine, but I refused to write her as anything less than intelligent and capable. Mara is perhaps more of the opposite; She has strong masculine personality traits, but I feel I’ve kept her as having a noticeable feminine identity through it, and I’m kind of proud of that. Ray trusts both of them completely after years of working with them.

. . . And yes I’ve been seeing the asks about how attractive some of yall find all three. I just haven’t gotten any I’m comfortable publishing and they’ve all been anonymous so I couldn’t message directly.

The more recent addition, Shale, as some of you picked up on, is a trans girl who was bullied. Ray knows the chairman of the Driftveil Mining Co. so he’s taking on Shale’s care for a while to help them get away and build up some confidence. Ray himself is either only recently aware or not yet aware they are trans, but the twins definitely have. They’re poised to be mentors to Shale more than Ray is. I’ve only written one other explicitly trans character since being outwardly transgender became an accepted thing to discuss publicly, which to be clear is a good thing and I will not give a platform to those who say otherwise. Shale is also the youngest member of the ranch’s crew, at 15 years old. I also have plans to eventually add a man to this group, to balance the roster a bit. Just waiting for inspiration.

AND FINALLY, once the blog fires back up in full again, I’ll finally begin writing the payoff to Ray’s feelings after the arc with @trainer-dashiela a while back! Namely his discussions of beefing up the ranch’s training gear, improving his own methods, and perhaps expanding the operation as a whole after chatting with Honey and Mustard from the dojo on the Isle of Armor. He won’t open a dojo, at least not in name, as he feels odd about using what is an eastern cultural name for an institution when he himself is essentially as European as it gets. But there is a western equivalent he is more comfortable with. So there’s all that to look forward to! The benefit of this hiatus has been the opportunity to fully plan this next chapter before committing to it in full.

[newlondohollow]

(Yes this is about dark souls i promise)

Something that happened to me recently led me to think about what we as a media-consuming society have come to. This post is not aimed at anyone, no one wronged me in any way and I hold no grudges for anyone, it’s simply something I wanted to get out of my system and discuss on here. 

Naturally this is more focused on video games but, in the present day, how many good stories, in the form of any media, are actually coming out? How many stories that have been written studying storytelling theory, structures, basic psychology, how many stories today want to convey a deeper meaning? How many today utilize symbolism and allegory? How many have genuinely important and touching themes? How many seek to speak out to the parts of ourselves we can barely understand, and seek to help us in doing so?

I’m sure many titles come to some people’s minds and I am glad, however the answer to that question is that generally speaking, other than the big, famous titles that have been around for years or decades and that are still releasing content today, the amount of stories with real meaning behind them being produced is few. There are lots of entertaining ones for sure, but that’s all.

FINALLY i get to Dark Souls. I said it once and I’ll say it again, this time with it being the central topic of the post: Fromsoftware’s storytelling is, without an inch of a doubt, one of the best (well known, I’m sure it is full of hidden gems out there) we have gotten in the last decade, and probably the best we will continue to have for the next one.

Note that with storytelling I mean the way From tells things to us, thus I’m talking about both the storyline the protagonist (player character) goes through, and about the lore, which is none other than a second fully complete storyline the lore proganists (i.e. Gwyn, Vendrick, and Lothric for the DS trilogy) go through. 

Let us for a second establish that in the particular case of Fromsoftware the lore isn’t just niche little aimless fun facts: almost if not everything in it has a thought of, intended meaning. 

The lore storyline took place before the gameplay storyline and shaped it before it happened, entirely. That boss being there? There’s lore behind it. That NPC selling you this thing? There’s lore behind it. This place being destroyed, this statue being headless, this fucking different door being where it is? There’s lore, there’s meaning, there is something behind it. This is what I mean when I say DS has the richest well known storytelling of this decade.

(As much as i adore DS2 and it is my favorite game ever I must clarify it is the weakest of the three when it comes to having everything in game make sense in the lore or bear symbolic meaning, don't get me wrong the vast majority of things does accomplish that but not everything, it's just shy from being perfect like the other two)

I will not go into the symbolic meanings, the themes, the inclusion of real life human culture and philosophical currents in this post because that would take literal days, but it is an incredibly fascinating topic and I recommend looking into it.

(I eventually might give in to my urges and rant about the philosophy bit)

With that said, what I was trying to say with “what we as a media-consuming society have come to” is this: stories like Dark Souls are rarer and rarer each day, media that encourages you to think about what you consumed, to reflect, to look at the world, at people, and think, is getting hard to find. Dark Souls is ergodic literature, I’m not saying every story should be ergodic literature but what I am saying is that stories should take on Dark Souls’ example and convey deeper themes, invoke deeper emotions and thoughts into the consumer. 

You can find countless stories out there of people who claim the Dark Souls games helped them through depression, that they saved their lives. Naturally that’s not granted solely by the story but also the gameplay, yet it is undeniable that DS’ general stories hold that sense of cyclic hopelessness, desolation, and fear. It is clear that stories like these speak out to people who are struggling, and make them feel seen. 

The whole point of this post is that stories shouldn’t just entertain, comedies have existed since the dawn of mankind and it is their task to do that (even then, comedies were also aimed at highlighting the injustices of society, even then stories made principally to entertain had something else to them), stories should connect with the consumer, make them feel and think things that will genuinely stick with them, make an impact on them and on the world, for the better. 

[paracosmicat]

I have so many writers I want to tag in this that I’m going to do it along with my favorite fic from each of them

@ninadove

You are the coolest person with the best ideas! I love how our brainrot fuels each other! And the ideas you have come up with on your own are also insanely good and insanely thought out!! You are so purposeful with each word and metaphor and it’s incredible!! You’re also such a fun person and I think you have the best taste ever!! I have more fun talking to you than like anyone and I also love how down you are to go along with whatever ride I’m dragging you along for next. Your Felix has my entire heart and I want to wrap him in the warmest blanket and give him tea (but he might not want it from me, so I’ll stick to doing that with Adrien)

I really actually cannot thank you enough. I don’t think I’ve even mentioned this (but it might have been obvious) but I met you during a really hard year and talking to you about anything and everything has helped me more than you could ever know. People like you are really rare and I think you are one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met and I hope I have a lot more years of screaming at each other about our favorite cousins!! Our favorite bees!! Our favorite dragon and bird couple!! Our favorite angsty lesbians (pick one, I could be talking about 100 people right now) and so on and so forth. Our little roleplay server has been a safe haven for me so thank you!!! 💞

All that being said, this was insanely hard to choose but if I had to pick a favorite it has to be this one. This is one of my favorite concepts and it’s super sweet and UGH you did so good on it!!!

La nuit, tous les chats sont gris

@asukiess

NAME TWIN!!! 💞💞💞 You’re literally the coolest and I’m super glad I reached out because omg you are just as fun to talk to as you are to stalk on tumblr. I have literally always thought you were so cool but guess who was 100% correct. I had so much fun talking to you about this last night so this is no surprise but this is my favorite one of yours

SERIOUSLY the way you wrote Loveybug’s grandiose personality and the SYMBOLISM I yelled to you about the symbolism but I seriously cannot express enough how beautiful it was through and through!!!

a rose by any other name

@trishacollins

YOU ARE INSANELY QUICK AND INSANELY TALENTED I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU DO THAT but also as a friend you are so sweet and funny and energetic and interesting!! I love hearing about your babies ;-; and I think you are really amazing!! I seriously am so glad that I made that post about sentibug that united us and I can’t get enough of the insane kwami lore you come up with because I am also an enjoyer of kwami lore!! 💞

Although… the very first fic of yours that I binged was this one because Nina recommended it to me and it was SO good and interesting and CUTE and I loved the way you characterized Felix!!

Found

@wackus-bonkus-maximus

YOU ARE THE SWEETEST PERSON IVE EVER MET!!! You are insanely talented and funny and also super super super kind!! You’re so good at writing like you literally wrote a BOOK for a fan fiction that had me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE time and you’re also a prophet!!! You understand the characters so well and you know how to utilize them!! I also think your original ideas are very good and creative and I can’t wait to see them!! That being said, my favorite of yours has to be:

borealis green

@bittersweetresilience

Omg…Sunny….listen…..

UM IDK HOW TO PICK NO ONE ELSE GOT TWO ANSWERS BUT I WANT TO DO TWO ANSWERS???

Okay first as a friend like you are very funny and supportive of whatever random ideas I throw at you and you have sooo much energy it is hard not to match which is so much fun!! You’ve also,,, seriously helped me with some very real things and that is something that I literally cannot thank you enough for?? ALSO YOUR TAGS oh my god your TAGS I think I fell in love with the way you wrote tags because they were so specific and focused on the little details and sooo SOOO much of them it AMAZES ME you are not only super SUPER talented but you ALSO are so kind to other creatives and that’s the best quality 💞 also exactly what I said to Nina about metaphors applies here too!! You are so good at words!!

And okay I can’t pick out two so I’m just going to say one more shout out to your Emilie…. That terrifying woman omg you cracked my brain open when you wrote her but no no THIS is my favorite which also shouldn’t be a surprise given my yelling

oh, no, not again

Do u ever read a friend’s fic and it’s like holy shit how do you consider me qualified to talk to you?

[tameblog]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that���s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link

[ramestoryworld]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that’s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link

[alexha2210]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that’s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link

[angusstory]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that’s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link

[tumibaba]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that’s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link

[romaleen]

The garden saved me in so many ways, and I want it to do the same for you. The action of gardening and getting outside has many healing and health benefits and is one of the best ways to get your body moving again. Let’s talk about the power of gardening and how to get started while your body is still recovering. Many people who stumble upon Garden Therapy come here while searching for help in their own recovery journey. For me, the garden is a powerful place to heal, both in what you grow and the action itself. Gardening came to me at a crucial time, offering me an outlet to slowly heal my body and find a new passion in life. Gardening is amazing for mental health and can also be a gentle way to get the body moving. Every message I get about someone who finds hope in my own story and shares their own journey means the world to me. I never would have expected that Garden Therapy would reach so many people when I started it. Someone recently asked me for tips on how to help increase their time and physical stamina in the garden while recovering from brain surgery, and I thought it was time I dedicate a whole post on tips for utilizing the healing power of gardening. Here’s what I’ll be talking about today: The key is to garden in a way that works for you and you alone. My Recovery Story I didn’t grow up as a gardener. Instead, it found me when I needed it the most. Many years ago, I woke up with a headache. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my chronic disability. I spent that first year almost entirely in bed, trying to sleep off my pain and finding myself with no energy whatsoever. After a year and a half, I was able to do small tasks with my body, like walking around the house or brushing my hair. By the third year, I ventured outside. My garden was little more than a neglected lawn, but I decided I would build a garden and my health at the same time. It started off with just 5 minutes a week, then 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes a day. It was gradual, very slow, but very rewarding. Here I am, almost two decades later, and I’m a Master Gardener, permaculturalist, and an award-winning author of 12 books and counting. And it all started with those 5 minutes a day during recovery.   I still struggle with pain daily but I have learned how and when to push my body. Finding That Balance The first thing I’ll say about using the garden to recover is that you need to find a balance between pushing yourself in moderate ways without overdoing it, all while listening to your body. As someone who is a type A personality and doesn’t like to stop once I’m hustling, I had to really come to terms with listening to my body. It was important that during my healing, I continued to listen to my body’s signals while also not being sedentary. You have to be so careful not to slip into that toxic positivity. Continuing to push yourself more than your body is ready for can develop into a detachment from the signals of our bodies. Accept what you can do, and listen to those messages your body puts out. Find ways to make your garden low maintenance, like switching from a turf lawn to an alternative lawn. Choose Your Hard In my eyes, those physical and pain symptoms telling you to slow down is your body healing. German homeopathy really embodies this idea that hurting is part of the healing process. When you don’t feel the pain, the healing process hasn’t even begun yet. Think of pain like an alarm system. Once you stub your toe and it hurts, you try not to do it again. When you push, it’s going to hurt, but the pain will also encourage you not to push too hard. For me, it was all about choosing my hard. Yes, moving at first was very difficult, but I also found being sedentary especially hard on my body and my mental health. So I chose my hard and pushed my body to its current capabilities and watched it grow. Just recently, I hurt my back. For almost two weeks, I didn’t do much movement, not even walking Kiddo to school. Every day for the past 11 years, even when I was pregnant, Kiddo and I would go on our daily walk. It’s really part of how we bond and a big reason why he’s so outdoorsy. It was really hard for me to be in a place where I couldn’t even walk with Kiddo. After two weeks, I finally went on a walk with him and actually felt better because I got that movement. But the next day, I only got a block and a half before I had to turn around. And that’s okay. I was kind to myself and listened to my body. It needed recovery time and rest. Tips for Gardening for Recovery My biggest tip is listening to your body and finding that balance, but here are some other ways I recommend using the garden as a form of recovery. Set a goal that’s easy to achieve. For me, it was those first five minutes a day. Be reasonable, and just do something little to get started. Get outside even when you can’t garden. If you’re unable to get much movement in, that’s okay. Simply sitting outside can give you immense benefits. Enjoy garden therapy inside. There are more ways than physically gardening to get some much-needed garden therapy. From indoor herb gardens to garden-inspired crafts, you can enjoy the benefits of nature even inside. Utilize permaculture zones. Keep things that you want to access regularly, such as houseplants or vegetables, close to the home (follow these tips). Relax after gardening. For me, that’s sitting in the bath with Epsom salts to immediately relax my muscles after working. Try reading. If you aren’t able to get out that day, try reading up on gardening practices, designs, and ideas instead. I really got my start by reading vegetable gardening books from the library. Stretch before you begin gardening. From yoga to simple sitting stretches, try to move your body ahead of time to increase blood flow to your muscles. Garden in a way that works for you. Ignore the trends and what everyone else wants your yard to look like. For instance, I ditched having a front lawn that needed to be mowed and watered since that requires lots of physical work and maintenance. Now, I have a beautiful wildflower front lawn that requires almost no effort on my end.   Utilize ergonomic tools to relieve strain on your joints and muscles (I’ve listed a bunch in this article). Take it day by day. Just because you did fifteen minutes in the garden yesterday doesn’t mean you can replicate that today. Always listen to your body and adjust as needed. Those are just a few of my tips for using the garden to heal. If you have more you’d like to share with others, please leave them in the comments below. I hope you find the power of gardening in your own life! More Ways to Discover the Healing Power of Gardening A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants. Source link