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  • kittycurry 11:13 pm on February 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply  

    I’m My Own Knight in Shining Armor 

    I generally don’t have a tough time shining a light on myself, but there was definitely something unnerving about posting my poetry all over town.

    Poetry_3It was a writing practice, most of all, as first I’d have to actually write something, but it was also the ultimate test of self-assuredness: Releasing an intimate piece of myself out into the world and not being able to control or even know how it was received – like swimming in the iddle of a dark, vast ocean, not knowing what might be lurking, or like being an amateur porn star, not knowing who in your life might see your …. I think you get the point – and maintaining a healthy sense of self anyway. Not with the flick of an ego-driven “just don’t give a fuck,” but with an open heart to potential judgment and yet an unwavering willingness to have your own back.

    It’s not necessary to whip out your entire soul and flaunt it everywhere you go just to test this, but on the other hand, restraining and hiding parts of yourself out of fear of judgment is an exercise in d
    ying. I want to live – and nothing personal, but not for you and your opinion of me.

    Most of my best writing comes in a flash, so, despite having ignored her for awhile, I grabbed ahold of my muse next came she around and fervently wrote things down before they escaped without record. I probably should dote on my babies a bit more, coddle and nurture them, but I’m just not that kind of girl. I let my words hang loose on a page, and that’s usually pretty close to the final version. Here and there, I dawdle on finding the perfect word and placement, but it’s more or less exactly what came out of me in the first place.
    (More …)

     

    • eatveggiesdrinkwine 9:50 am on April 16, 2016 Permalink

      I love this adventure and your writing. I would be thrilled to randomly see your poetry on a lamppost. And I think I might hang these sentences somewhere I can read them daily: “[R]estraining and hiding parts of yourself out of fear of judgment is an exercise in dying. I want to live – and nothing personal, but not for you and your opinion of me.” Perfection! Thank you for adventuring and sharing.

  • kittycurry 6:07 pm on January 30, 2016 Permalink | Reply
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    BOS->BOM Part 1 

    IMG_0037I went to India the second week of January for work. My colleague, a videographer, and I, a writer, were there to cover a water desalination device developed at our university and its impact on the lives of villagers in rural India, where electricity and money and clean water are all hard to come by.

    It doesn’t sound scary, I know, but I have to admit I was a little nervous. For one, I would be away from my daughter for almost two weeks.

    Two, I was going to a developing country, a first for me. I’ve traveled to well developed countries like England, Iceland, Italy, and France, but never anything like this. I really had no idea what I should be prepared to see or feel. All I knew was that apparently I was going to stand out, I should bring my own toilet paper, I’d probably get ill, and I owned zero appropriate clothing.

    Three, I was going on a work trip, so, while I was traveling with a co-worker and wouldn’t technically be on my own, in a way I was going alone — another first for me.

    Four, we weren’t going as tourists, meandering around big cities to see the sights and shop and eat our hearts out – we were going to mostly small, poor villages that lack basic amenities like 24-hour electricity and clean water. Did I mention how long the flights were? Oh, and I would be practicing a type of extended in-the-field journalism that I had never done before, getting nice and cozy with subjects and environments that were quite different from anything I’ve ever known.

    Talk about moving outside your comfort zone. I didn’t know if I’d get there and burst with joy from experiencing so many new things all at once, or start crying and maybe vomit from the shock and horror of it all. It really was a toss-up.

    Nevertheless, I was excited. (More …)

     

  • kittycurry 10:18 pm on January 5, 2016 Permalink | Reply  

    Dip in to a Sea of Possibilities 

    Polar Bear Plunge_2015I stood there, numb.

    Not emotionally numb. Physically numb. That shit was freezing cold.

    In the course of telling me about her idea of 52 adventures for the first time, Kim mentioned taking part in a Polar Bear Plunge, and I knew instinctively she would ask me to do it. How could she not? It was karma. It was my worst fear. I won’t even dip into the ocean on the warmest summer beach day. I prefer near-bath-water temperatures myself.

    I cringed internally and hoped to God I was wrong.

    I wasn’t. She texted me one night and said, casually, as if it were no big thing, “Wanna do the Polar Bear Plunge?”

    Shit.

    I couldn’t answer. I pretended not to see the text. Maybe she’ll think it wasn’t delivered, I thought.

    She asked again a couple of days later. “I’m not sure,” I finally said.

    “Let’s discuss it in person,” she said. “I’ll convince you.” “We’ll see,” I replied.

    We met up for drinks at a local bar. We drank wine and talked excitedly about many things, and for a little while there, I thought I was home free.

    Wrong again.

    “I really think you should do the plunge,” she started. “It’s a great way to begin a year of 52 adventures. It’s very symbolic of a rebirth, a washing away of your past self. It’s very refreshing.”

    I was scared shitless, but I knew I had no defense. This was the whole point of 52 adventures: to force yourself out of your comfort zone, to confront your deepest fears, to prove to your irrational side that you can do anything, that the only thing to fear is fear itself, and that discomfort, whether physical or emotional, won’t kill you. It will empower you. Invigorate you. It will allow you to bust through whatever walls you’ve built around yourself that are preventing you from living the full, boundary-less, bullshit-less life you know full well you would have if you could just get rid of all this baggage that’s been growing around you, slowly, sneakily, so that it actually took you quite a long time to even notice it was there.

    No, fuck that.

    “Of course I’m going to do it,” I blurted out, before my weaker side had a chance to protest.

    I thought about the idea of a rebirth, and I liked it, but for some reason it didn’t quite resonate with me. But then I remembered one of my favorite Patti Smith songs, “Land.” I’ve always loved the line, “Dip in to the sea of possibilities,” and I realized what the plunge would mean to me, and that gave me the strength I needed. I was actually looking forward to it now. I’m going to literally and figuratively dip in to the sea of possibilities!

    And that’s exactly what I did first thing in the morning on January 1, 2016.

    Well, actually, I didn’t dip. I ran into Dorchester Bay. For one moment, I stood there, numb. But then I jumped up and down and waved my hands around wildly. And it was awesome. And it was beautiful. And it didn’t hurt.

    Here’s to a year of running into a sea of possibilities!

     

    -Alissa Mallinson

     

    • Kimberly Hula 10:37 pm on January 5, 2016 Permalink

      Congratulations lady! I’m digging Patti Smith as a source of inspiration. Can’t wait to see what you do next!

    • abstractangel7 8:46 pm on January 6, 2016 Permalink

      Wow, I admire you both but this is something I don’t think I could ever do! I get cold just thinking about it. You are both so brave!!!

    • eatveggiesdrinkwine 1:45 pm on January 10, 2016 Permalink

      Yes, so brave — way to go!

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