Be Ready: Political Violence, PTSD Season and the Privilege of Looking Away

Every July, my body remembers. 9 years ago, I survived a politically motivated mass shooting. This is what it means to live trauma and why we must speak out against all forms of hate.

Strange things have been happening - magical things, circle-of-life things, inhumane things.

Needless to say, I’ve been neglecting Substack in favor of stress management and real growth, within myself and literally outside.

Last year, one of my most popular posts featured a picture of the first flower I ever grew:

It wasn’t even a good one.

This year, I’m transforming an entire courtyard.

Yes, sometimes life requires you build an entire ecosystem to process it.

But life in the courtyard?

It’s been magical, cathartic and as drama-filled as Grosse Pointe Garden Society.

Naturally, I’m working on a My Magical Courtyard (so not the title) series. It’s tender, slightly feral, and honestly? A little unhinged. So…. on brand?

But while I work on that, I’m taking a moment to revisit something heavier. I’m refining how I expose and sharing my experience surviving a mass shooting.