Taking back my social life after the pandemic

Today I attended the Memorial Day Service for my hometown, Atlanta, Illinois. It’s a small town of about 1,600 people. They’re gaining a following as it’s right on Route 66.

The flags lined up the streets with each veteran's name stitched upon them from the town. I had two deceased grandfathers, each on a flag, along with a deceased uncle.

I have memories of helping take those flags down in the rain when I was about 17 years old. …

DOGS | PETS | ANIMAL WELFARE

In today’s modern age of technology, where we have cameras to watch our pets while we’re away, we can see our dogs having separation anxiety through a screen.

All dogs have a different way of expressing their anxiety. From barking to pacing to defecating on the floor to tearing the couch to shreds, these are common things a dog with separation anxiety does.

Dogs get bored when left alone for long periods of time. This can lead to distress or even destruction.

While you’re transitioning into going back to the office after working from home, your dog can sense your…

When I was about 12 years old, I started getting depressed. I was an adolescent obsessed with the thought of death.

It started with losing one of my best friends to suicide. He was depressed too. He had a complicated family life and eventually, after going into foster care, was sent to a mental institution.

He lasted only a couple of weeks in there before he hanged himself with bedsheets. He was on suicide watch already, they were a few minutes late checking on him, and when they came in, he was unresponsive.

He was on life support for a…

How some people experience it and ways to help them

Do you have an anxious feeling when you’re out in public? Do you feel like everyone’s staring at you when you’re at the grocery store? These are things people with social anxiety deal with every day.

After dealing with the pandemic, some of us may find it hard to deal with things going back to normal. Those of us with social anxiety may have been enjoying the time at home, away from people.

As defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, “Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia) is…

ANECDOTE | FERRETS | PET OWNERSHIP

How many people do you know that have ferrets? Can you count them on one hand? Unless you’re in the ferret community yourself, you likely don’t know that many ferret owners. We’re not as weird as some people think we are, I promise. :)

Ferrets are considered exotic animals to some, but many people in the population like to consider them “rodents.” This is untrue. The ferret is from the weasel family. They are phasing out of the exotic animal classification and into their own category since becoming more popular.

I’ve had eight ferrets as pets since 2011. The most…

and never looked back.

“During the 2007–2009 recession, fewer young adults were establishing their own households and more of them were moving back with parents after initially moving out.”

Apparently, during a time where more young adults were moving back into their parents’ houses, my husband (boyfriend at that time) and I took a leap of faith and rented our own apartment.

It seems like an easy process looking back, but I will never forget the troubles of living on my own. We can say once we moved out, though, that was it. There was no turning back.

I moved…

Is it really a thing, or is it just me?

“One study of sibling jealousy during middle childhood and adolescence, for example, found that approximately 98% of youth reported experiencing sibling jealousy at least once” (Thompson & Halberstadt, 2008).

My sister and I are 10 years apart.

It’s always been a competition for my parent's attention, at least in my mind. The problem being her dad is her biological dad. He’s not mine. He’s just my step-dad, but he’s been around since I was a toddler.

When I was little, my step-dad and I were tight. I would watch him…

While there are all kinds of shows to watch on TV that you can get lost in, there is one show I keep coming back to. It’s on my TV when I go to sleep at night. It’s on again when I wake and while my dog is home alone. That show is Bob’s Burgers.

History

Bob’s Burgers started on the FOX Network in 2011. Since its inception, it’s received great reviews. Most people will watch it if it’s on, but others pass it on the TV Guide.

It’s a cartoon comedy with family values about a “hot shot restaurateur” (this…