Emotional Intimacy Question: Worst Memory

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. I'm starting with this list.

18. What is your most terrible memory?

Since a lot of folks may not want to answer that one, I'll broaden it a bit.  You can use any difficult memory that you're comfortable sharing, or talk about how you handle hard memories in general.  It's also okay if you want to post your contribution on your own journal where you control the settings.

One of my quirks is that, thanks to farmemory, my really  worst memories are from other lives.  So for instance, I collect bedding because I can, and just in case I ever have to put up a bunch of friends turned refugees.  My litany for bad days goes, "No one is currently trying to assassinate me.  I am not personally responsible for saving the world in the next 24 hours.  If this building/vehicle catches fire, there is an entire atmosphere of breathable air into which we can flee."  This really puts a flat tire in perspective.

Because those memories influence how I handle problems, it's a useful thing to know about me.  Even if you don't believe in farmemory, you can still observe the effects.

Oh, and for those of you who, like me, find "worst pain imaginable" to be ludicrously irrelevant, try using this pain scale which instead describes the impact of the pain on what you can do as well as comparing it to common benchmark causes.

Poem: "Where You Begin to Learn New Things"

This poem is spillover from the January 2, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from technoshaman andgingicat. It also fills the "Rites of Passage / Coming of Age" square in my 1-3-18 card for the trope_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by daisiesrockalot.  It follows "Disorientation and Reorientation" and "Where You Begin to Heal" in the Polychrome Heroics series, so read that one first.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features a visit to a (very nice) hospital for an appointment with a sex/gender specialist, a delayed schedule due to staff issues (which is handled well), a refugee nurse retrainee, an intersex doctor, a lot of frank sex/gender talk, explicit medical details, discussion of how to respect boundaries for minors who need sex/gender care, anxiety, trust issues due to past malpractice and abuse, relationship-balancing techniques, lingering effects of touch starvation, examples of past abuse, which is now making medical care a lot harder to manage, intrusive memories, shower room issues, and other angst. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Moment of Silence: Koko

Koko the gorilla has passed away.  She was famous for knowing sign language and understanding many words in English.  I know her through many articles on zoology and linguistics.  She will be deeply missed.

Fair Use vs. Seuss

Comic Mix has a post about their battle to protect fair use in mashups.  It's written in verse.  Read, enjoy, and send them a donation to help protect transformative works for everyone. 

Character Notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things"

These are the character notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things."

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Location Notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things"

Here are the location notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things."

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Content Notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things"

These are the content notes for "Where You Begin to Learn New Things."

WARNING: Due to the topic of this poem, many of the links are explicit, gross, ragemaking, or otherwise disturbing. Think carefully about what you want to read, or not.

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