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Here's another thing I think about a lot, especially in regards to redemption arcs: When God made us good, I believe He did so in a wide variety of ways. He is a very creative creator. And while Original Sin has been largely unoriginal ever since (as we fall into a dreadful yet short and predictable list of vices), the virtues of the redeemed and renewed are many. “How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been; how gloriously different are the saints" as Lewis (you will suffer him) said! Sin is reductive. Christ died to give us life more abundant. So, I tend to look at redemption arcs as opportunities for characters to become more, not less, themselves. Weed out sin, and they will grow, and that growth will flower into positive change. But their unique, God-given traits will remain—healthily instead of unhealthily expressed. For example, Lizzy Bennet, observant and witty to a fault (jumping to conclusions and judgments) doesn't grow by tossing her powers of perception to the wayside. Rather she extends them to the point of self-examination, self-awareness, and the humility thereof, so that by factoring her own limitations into her calculations, she gets better at coming to the right conclusions. That's why we love and relate to her, cheer for her and cringe along with her as she realizes her mistakes. That's the stuff of character progression.

thing I am proud of: when the doctor started going on a weird rant about long covid not being real I paused and listened to his nonsense for a bit and then very calmly said, in a polite and curious tone, "you don't believe in post-viral illness?" and he like. stammered a bunch and was like OH WELL I'M NOT SAYING -- I DON'T...I just think ..! and backpedaled awkwardly while I just sat there like :3c interesting :3c thank you so much for clarifying your stance on this :3c

an important skill for chronically ill people to develop is the ability to treat the doctor as though they are simply a person you are interviewing to find out how much they know about your condition.

HMMM interesting!! will have to check this out

The older i get the more i understand why some people become obsessed with privacy, not because they’re hiding something, but because being constantly perceived starts to feel spiritually exhausting.

I want you to TAKE that nincompoop and KNIGHT that nincompoop by NOON TOMORROW!

I am going to need to go through the notes because I need waaaaay more context.

Best brain hack is taking “this too shall pass” and applying it in the micro. The panic you feel from an argument with a friend, wanting to get on your phone when you should be studying, the absolute obsession with someone you’re crushing on, pain from rejection, utter hopelessness at a situation that is not entirely hopeless. Heavy on situations that induce panic and incentivize you to act out of turn, maybe to send a text you shouldn’t be sending or to blow up at someone or whatever it is. The antidote to knee jerk reactions is literally just “this too shall pass” and allowing yourself to feel the physical manifestation of your extreme emotion. Literally just ride it out. Even for things that can’t immediately be resolved, it makes such a big difference and prevents you from reacting in ways that you would undoubtedly regret down the line.

Okay, but what if I've never plucked a rooster and I'm not too good at ping-pong, and I've never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall, and I've never kissed a chipmunk and I've never gotten head lice, and I've never been to Boston in the fall?

You're safe

You can replace [ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY] with [SCROLLING] but watch out. This sucks bad 👍

hmmm, this seems to be some kind of curse breaking spell… be free ye reader

people will say “they’re only friends” and then show me two people who would crawl through broken glass to hear the other laugh once. two people who have memorized each other’s coffee orders, fears, childhood stories, and emergency contacts. two people who would haunt each other’s houses as ghosts. be serious.

Just an FYI—the original intention of this post was to challenge the way people say only friends, as though friendship is somehow lesser than other forms of love. As if being deeply known, cherished, and chosen by another person could ever be a small thing. Normalize profound platonic love. Some of the most fulfilling, transformative, and enduring relationships we will ever have are friendships. 🫶🏼