My plan for growth and self-care...

[Poison Ivy]

is to not assume the worst about people. For example, right now, I hope that my sister was tipsy and tired, not rude and uncaring, when she sent a "shrugging it off" response to my message about something bad that happened to my daughter.

[square]

It's a great plan, PI.

You don't have to come up with a ton of benign explanations. But if you have felt hurt by someone in the past and later learned it wasn't what you thought, or at least not as bad, you can just say "well, who knows what happened there."

If you ever do learn something wasn't what it seemed, you can tuck it away: "I'll have to remember that, sometimes it's not what I thought."

[SonofThunder]

..is steadily untying the many trash barges full of manipulative abuse, from the moorings within the harbor of my history and mind, allowing them each to float downstream and around the bed, out of sight. 

As these harbor slots become increasingly available, I am welcoming in the bright, sunny sails of upstream vessels, full of daydreams and new experiences. Anchored now in my safe-harbor, these beautiful boats become the new landscape. 

I am scrubbing down my mildewed dock, exposing the beautiful wood underneath, combined with resting in a folding chair with a Corona in hand, watching my once dark and dismal harbor, transfigure into a calm retreat. 

All the best to you Poison Ivy!

SoT