During cold months like this, I really miss the sunsets in summer. Watching the sun disappear, throwing a beautiful array of yellows, oranges, and red as its last hurrah before it disappears under the horizon, always seemed to have so much hope. Lately the cold gives us a bittersweet sunset because it is just as […]

Today I’d like to write a bit of an update and to reassure everyone that I’m not gone. Diary of a Flopping Fish is still moving along, thought it is going quite slowly. As I have written about before, it if very hard to balance other obligations and expectations while still have enough left in […]

CPTSD, boundaries, and breaking free from control.

New homes, old triggers: How CPTSD survivors navigate the challenges of moving, from hypervigilance to food trauma in shared living spaces.

Traverse City Walmart Stabbing: Could This Attack Have Been Prevented? Michigan is reeling from an attack at the Traverse City, Michigan Walmart on July 26, 2025 where a 42-year-old man “allegedly” stabbed 11 people at random with a folding knife. Luckily, though there were serious injuries, none of the stabbings were fatal, and bystanders helped […]

Surrounded by Boxes Today I write surrounded by boxes full of things that are all attached to memories and events that occurred throughout my boyfriend and I’s lives. It is amazing how many things we can collect, and memories that come flooding back from them. What’s even more amazing is that all these memories attached […]

For many of us, the subject of family is a loaded one. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose blood family is large and diverse, and not everyone in a large family gets along. It’s fine not to get along with everyone, but it is dangerous to think you still have to associate with everyone regardless of how they treat you or what it costs to be “loyal.”

The difficulty of setting boundaries goes beyond the need to please others. It affects people from all walks of life, including those in addiction recovery, those re-entering society after incarceration, and survivors of toxic relationships.

How I went from burnout and CPTSD to graduating college online with high honors — and what I learned along the way.

I hate to be a drag, and I know that it’s supposed to be a cheery time, but honestly it is stressful and sad. As we all do, I try to hold on to the good things about the holidays and let them make up for all the bad.