…hard choices bring consequences and even harder choices… free will is the cause and effect of our lives…
Dealing with flashback trauma, the Empath gears up for battle.
The summer of 2014 seems like a dream to me now. It was the last summer I would spend with my second wife. The following March/April, I moved out of our home. So many terrible things happened that summer. Sprinkled throughout the madness, a handful of memorable moments come back to me from time to … Continue reading The Journals [Summer 2014 UFO]
This morning, while drinking coffee, I turned on the news. Why would I do that? I enjoy being entertained by complete horseshit. The newswoman was doing a segment on masks and which ones are not effective against viruses. Unfortunately, only a few masks help to stop the spread of COVID-19, and those are relatively expensive. … Continue reading Mainstream Media & WWF
All my life, I've been waking myself up when it's necessary. Fortunately, this time there wasn't danger. I was asleep, dreaming something that I cannot remember. I heard a loud knocking, so I snapped from sleep and jumped from bed. Nothing, there isn't anything to find. When this happens, I usually read a few pieces … Continue reading Knock, Knock
For nearly two years, I've been building a new [sober] life for myself. I've had as much as ten years sobriety before, but this is the first time I have known with complete absolution, that I do not have any desire to self-medicate. If you would have asked me two years ago how I felt … Continue reading Cheering For The [Blue] Underdog
This piece may come across as fantasy, or maybe even impossible. I assure you, I will never post a lie, and all fiction will be labeled as just that; fiction. The following event is non-fiction. Although, sometimes, I wish it were not so. Warning: May be difficult for dog lovers. My second marriage began in … Continue reading The Journals [Monsters]
I moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1988, at the age of 19. Coming from a small town of fewer than 3,000 people, I was not prepared for life in the big city. None of my family lives here in Denver, Colorado. Thirty years ago, I only knew a handful of people; my half-sister's ex-husband and … Continue reading The Journals [How I Came to Denver Colorado & My First Career]
A few years ago, someone I know began to suggest that I write a book. At the time, my friend was trying to convince me that I should write my story. And why not, my life has been an incredible rollercoaster of pain, trauma, love, life, and death. But, doesn't that describe everyone's life? And … Continue reading Journals [Introduction]
A little more than five years ago, I moved out of my house, never to return. I had lived there with my second wife for more than ten years. Today, I'm going to write about one particular event, an incident that happened a few months before I left. I woke up startled from a dream … Continue reading The Journals [Spider Bite]
I spent today picking up equipment from a job that ended this week. Fortunately, I didn't see any Rattle Snakes! Although we did see quite a few Black Widow Spiders! I'm so happy that job is over! Joseph Shanklin August 6, 2020
If you haven't read Louisiana Part I, that piece details the events surrounding an incident in which myself, my ex-wife, and our unborn child were nearly involved in a terrible car accident. Part II is darker. This will be the first time I've told this story anywhere or to anyone. Only my first wife knows … Continue reading Louisiana Part II
