kvetching up

I wrote to the tandem therapist some weeks ago. She responded, if what she said below is deserving of that description. I didn't find her response until today. Perhaps it's brevity and lack of response is borne of legal concerns, or perhaps it's just a failing of a search for the right words. Anyway, the conversation follows. Shayla  <shayla@xxxxxxx.com>  M To: "Geoff D. Miller" <gdmiller88@gmail.com> Hi Geoff,   I am touched to hear from you. I think about you often. It sounds like you have been doing some deep work and reflecting. I am so glad. And even though the pain is still so present it sounds like you and your girls are surviving together.   I want you to know that I have been honored to know you and allowed to peak into your life’s journey. Thank you very much Geoff.   And please feel free to reach out to me when you want to.   Thank you.     -- Shayla , MA, LMFTA,   From:   Geoff D. Miller < gdmiller88@gmail.com...

Just prior to tandem therapy, Leiney had gone to see Jenny and asked me to leave the room. I was leaving the room, but within earshot, when Leiney started. She told Jenny how sad she was about her mom's behavior and her failure to prioritize her children. She talked about the condoms that I found in Jenny's bag, and how disappointed she was in her mom. Jenny was shocked. I left the room, so I don't know all of what she said. As I retreated to the basement to talk to Abby--forgetting she was not home but at acting--I heard Jenny tell Leiney she had had picked up the condoms at a store as a joke. She grabbed them thinking it was funny that the store was giving out free condoms. Who knows? (Given her penchant for lying and cheating, I have an idea I know.) When tandem therapy began, for the first 30 minutes it was uneventful, the standard drill really.  At minute 31 I raised the issue of the condoms. I was calm. I was collected. I told the story of how I had found them, and t...

 Entry 1     1:28 p.m. If you've ever listened to The Whole of the Moon by Mike Scott, I can say that there were times when I felt that way about someone. I was invariably wrong, driven by myth, mystery and the desire to be in love like in the movies, I suppose. And, I can say with certainty today, the one person that really understood the world in the same way I do, was of little use to me. I ran as fast and as far as I could. Humans, who can understand them. I wander blindly, seeing no better than the blind king. Oedipus discovers his truth and blinds himself. Before that, he was blind to the truth, but could see the world. Is there a middle-ground? Yesterday was a bit much.  Jennifer was here. For reasons only fucking god knows, they thought it would be a good idea to let Willow loose in the yard sans harness. Hijinx, as you have probably guessed, ensued. Last night, I needed extra calming medicine. Remember those birthday cards I discovered while getti...

Entry 1     8:46 a.m.  Ani DiFranco was my favorite artist for several years in the 1990s. Not so much anymore, but there was a time.  In 1997 she released a double-live CD, Living In Clip.  Clipping is distortion from an amplifier--the cause of which isn't important here.  Of one thing I am certain. Since August of last year, I have been living in clip--everything has been and remains distorted, doubly so.  That I am living in a world made distorted by terminal illness and an ongoing affair, was again last night made clear in our tandem therapy.  I offer a huzzah for the therapist who two weeks in a row saw a side of Jenny that I think she is finally understanding. It was very much a discussion about death and dying, magic and loss. Magic because we talked about God. Loss, because we talked about the end. In an incredibly smart move, I had 3 fingers of scotch right as the meeting started, in a high ball glass.  It was enough to keep m...