Comments on: Words on the Bathroom Wall

By: Sophie in the Moonlight

Sophie in the Moonlight — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:13:31 +0000

Thank you. Your story embodies many truths from which we all can learn.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:14:12 +0000

I love bathroom graffiti - one of the bathrooms on my campus had a list of guys to watch out for, warning them against date rapists, big partiers, etc. I thought it was nice of women to warn other women.

http://www.amazon.ca/Bathroom-Graffiti-Mark-Ferem/dp/0977282740/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234465903&sr=8-2

By: Margaux

Margaux — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:41:01 +0000

No, you aren't "right" and the woman who rebuked you on the bathroom wall wasn't "wrong," but it is sad to me that she couldn't see beauty where you could. People who aren't in touch with their spirits are jealous of people who are in touch with their own. And there's absolutely no point in trying to make someone else "see" a world that's only visible to those who have the magic glasses.

By: Tanya @ TeenAutism

Tanya @ TeenAutism — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:33:24 +0000

This is beautiful. Sort of along the lines of "live and let live," but, I think, on a different level. Your truth is very wise indeed. A glorious beginning to a new day - thank you for this.

By: Jade

Jade — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:13:30 +0000

I like the way you tie today's lessons to yesterday's circumstances. In *my* reality that is true growth, and I love the way you express it, MPJ.

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:08:32 +0000

Its very much all about perspective I think.

By: Alane

Alane — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:37:35 +0000

This struck a very deep chord in me. I've been realizing myself how very fragile my truths are, and how defensive I get about those truths. There are things that I'm sure of, or that I'm not sure of, and those don't feel fragile. I can debate some topics without caring what the outcome is...who wins, who doesn't, whether there is a "winner". Then there are those things, and they are usually about "who I am" that I can be either defensive about, or too willing to let others define for me. I too am learning that it doesn't have to be either.

By: GentlePath

GentlePath — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:48:32 +0000

"I wasn’t any longer the girl whose reality was threatened by words on a bathroom wall." What a really neat thing to have a bathroom like that. This little vignette touched me on so many different levels. I want to belong to a group that writes poems on the bathroom wall instead of sexual insults. So far, the local 12-step clubhouse is the closest thing to that I've found over a lifetime of searching. And I want to be able to speak my truth even when I'm not surrounded by others who share that truth. I want to know and be strong so that my reality isn't threatened by words on a bathroom wall. But the truth (the real truth) is that my reality is often threatened and I deliberately surround myself with people who share most of my beliefs. And sometimes I wonder if that's because my beliefs are wrong.

By: mama mara

mama mara — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:36:23 +0000

You MUST write a book. I mean it. As I read this post, it occurred to me that I learned my first real recovery slogan early in life: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." I give way too much power to other people's judgments, and I either try to prove my worth or fall into a pit of "I suck". How words affect me really is up to me.

By: R

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:03:24 +0000

This whole story resonates deeply with me. Sometimes, I can remember that my truth is mine, and that, like my sponsor always says "what other people think about me is none of my business." As always, thanks for sharing, MPJ.