LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
‘It was only yesterday we were reckless and 18, and now we have an entire world of responsibility. Time is never guaranteed.’
“Since the age of 13 when I began to crave that drivers license, 16 when I began to crave freedom, 18 when I began to crave independence, I’ve been wishing to be further ahead in time. If only we knew how fast the time would actually go.”
‘Babies ruin bodies.’ The body I worked hard for, to eat next to nothing, to exercise any indulgence out of, would all go to waste once I decided to get pregnant.’
“Loose skin, stretched skin, white lines. Abdominal separation, prolapses, third degree tears and cesarean scars. Weight gain and weight loss. Wider hips, bigger breasts. It’s all there. A body that is a far cry from what it was. ‘Babies ruin bodies’”
‘When the stylist asked what I wanted, I replied ‘Cut it off! Just cut it off before I lose my nerve.’ Without hesitation, she grabbed the scissors.’: Woman shares why cutting your hair ‘may be the best thing you ever do’
“I found myself staring at the reflection of a woman I hardly recognized. Her hair an unkempt mess. Eyes dark and tired. Skin dull and sullen. She looked like she had given up on herself, and in a way, she had.”
‘The receptionist says, ‘Peter will be with you soon.’ I smile and think, Peter? Peter better be a girl. Don’t panic.’: Woman hilariously recalls mortifying experience at doctor where pimple is exposed
“I never get pimples on my back. Never… but occasionally my body says, ‘Hey, remember what it’s like to be 14? Well here’s an eruption for you. I got a real big juicy one right in the middle of my back.’ I think it’s all good because, she’s a woman, she will get it. He says, ‘Laura?’ Real slowly. I sigh and say, ‘Yep that’s me.’ FML. No no no No. NO.'”
‘It was happening all over again. My husband kissed me. ‘I love you.’ We had one egg left. The last thing I remember was tears falling as they put a mask on my face.’: Couple battling infertility says ‘you are never gonna keep us down’
“I woke up 15 minutes later, still delirious when my doctor opened the door. I sat in silence. Click…click…click. The silence continued. I knew something wasn’t right. I put one arm on his back and one over my eyes and began to sob. I am a ‘fixer’ and I couldn’t fix this.”
‘They tell you to hold the baby. They tell you to forget your to-do list because that sweet babe is worth snuggling. And you forget to hold the baby.’: Mom urges ‘there is nothing more important’
“But they fail to mention how that baby grows. That little one who once rested so perfectly upon your chest doesn’t fit there quite so well anymore. And you forget to hold the baby. But that babe, your growing babe, still needs you.”
‘Suddenly the officer sits down, pulls out lunch. He not only takes away your hunger, but your loneliness too.’: Woman touched by officer’s act of kindness for homeless man, ‘We are all just human’
“Everything you own fits in a backpack. You look up to see a uniformed officer walking towards you. Your mind flutters thinking of everything you might be doing wrong. I don’t know this man or this officer, but what I do know is today they made a difference.”
‘Last night I was a mama alone in the ER with my sick baby. As my feverish child sobbed, I paced the waiting room. There was panic across faces.’: Mom thankful for community kindness during ER visit
“But as I would learn, I wasn’t actually alone.”
‘I sank deep into my insecurities. Stop talking so much. Tone it down. You come off as too much. Don’t be so ‘you.’: Woman shares ‘miraculous’ changes in self-awareness and assurance
“I knew everything that was wrong with me. I didn’t need a list to point them out in black and white. I’d known since I was little. And I was over it. 35 years of that mess was enough. So, I deleted everything, and I started blank.”
‘Five weeks after Dorothy died, my nephew was born. I was so happy he was here, but was also happy he lived across the country so I didn’t have to see him yet. ‘And,’ she replied.’
“I looked at her puzzled, so she continued. ‘And. You are happy he is here AND you are happy you don’t have to see him right now. You don’t have to choose.’ After we left our session that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about that one little word.”