Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Haunted Firefighter/EMT
Well, I randomly had a PTSD moment…so, I’m going to share what’s on my mind.
I just want people to know that as a first responder we DO have emotions. We are not numb to the things we see and do. We see things that the average person should only see in movies.
Please know you and your loved ones are NOT forgotten. People are not just “another call.”
Looking someone in their eyes as they take their last breath will forever haunt me. It bothers me that I’m (some stranger) the last face people see sometimes.
I remember everyone’s faces, and cry on the anniversary’s of their deaths. Especially children. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones—especially children.
It has been 5 years ago June 17th that I responded to a baby girl less than a year old. I worked that baby for an hour, not wanting to give up. I was 8months pregnant and an emotional wreck already. That sweet baby had the bluest eyes, and I just thought… why? Why God do you take these innocent children. I will probably never understand.
Please know, we hurt and it does affect us. The only thing I can come to peace with, is all the lives that were saved, and helping people on their worst days.
If you know anyone that’s a first responder, please ask them how they are doing. We love what we do or we wouldn’t be doing it; but it does take a toll on our minds. We laugh to mask the pain we feel sometimes.
Thank a first responder.
Forgive, but never forget.
After 32 years, I believe one of the hardest things I’ve learned, is to forgive. No, not your typical “ya I forgive you.” I’m talking that deep, gut wrenching fight to find every reason why you shouldn’t—but yet, you do.
I never realized how something that should be so simple; has completely reconstructed my emotions, my thoughts, my soul, and my life in general.
Being angry is easy…or so I thought. I used the harbored anger as an excuse to, well, pretty much do whatever I want, and treat people like garbage if I so chose. Wrong. All I got was high blood pressure and sleepless nights.
To look at someone who has caused you pain (physical, mental, or emotional) and truly mean “I forgive you”…. I forgive you for making me feel a certain way, doubting myself, driving me to my breaking point, and making my self worth amount to nothing; is a tremendously hard, yet freeing thing to do.
Once I realized I could be “ok” knowing that person caused me pain like they did. I found a peace. Extending grace and mercy upon these people who clearly act the way they do, because they are suffering in their own minds. I simply feel sorry for them now, instead of being offended.
I don’t feel as if we should ever forget the trials and trauma people put us through. Those moments in life (as painful as they may be) shape the person we become— a narcissist or an empath…
Be kind to everyone—even your enemies.
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Out of the fire- personal growth 