What Paper Plates are For

April 14, 2017April 18, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

There's a TV ad for an antidepressant that features a paper plate on a popsicle-stick handle with a smiley face sketched on it... Various people are holding it up in front of their faces, which (behind the paper-plate-smiles) are unhappy, disengaged, or entirely expressionless. That ad speaks not only to the experience of Depression, but also to … Continue reading What Paper Plates are For

Taking Out the Trash

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 7 Comments

This week I volunteered to help out a church acquaintance with some cleaning and reorganizing of her house. She's a single mom with numerous health problems and two active young boys, and she babysits an infant who's now mobile enough to require baby-proofing of the house---and she was finding the project overwhelming. I won't lie: I found the project … Continue reading Taking Out the Trash

How to Save Hundreds on Prescriptions (I don’t care if I sound like a bad TV ad… everyone should know about this!)

February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ Leave a comment

We're kind of conditioned to believe that something "too good" can't actually be true... So when I happen on something TRUE that's awesome... Well, I just have to share it! I know I'm not alone in relying on some prescriptions that are critical to my health (mental and otherwise), and I know I'm not alone … Continue reading How to Save Hundreds on Prescriptions (I don’t care if I sound like a bad TV ad… everyone should know about this!)

Exorcism by Ink

January 24, 2017January 24, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 17 Comments

I've exorcised a number of demons through the use of ink. No surprise for a writer. But this week exorcism-by-ink took a different twist. A couple years ago I foolishly married a person who turned out to be a liar and a cheat (and also already-married!) and unfortunately I had already let him scrawl his name across … Continue reading Exorcism by Ink

Changing My Story

January 4, 2017January 5, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 5 Comments

Sometimes the really simple stuff is the hardest to get my hard head around... How is it, for example, that I can have a goal and know what it is and face no real impediments---yet it doesn't materialize? When there's not some external obstacle, why don't I get that goal accomplished? Well, it all comes down to ME, … Continue reading Changing My Story

Don’t Be JAFO

January 2, 2017January 9, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

I said a probable goodbye to a dear friend today. Pat just had a massive stroke; he's in a coma on life support and not expected to make it back to us. Knowing that he wouldn't be talking to me (but who knows, might be able to hear me) I stopped at the hospital today … Continue reading Don’t Be JAFO

Things About My 2016 (List#6)

December 31, 2016January 5, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 6 Comments

The New-Year mark is a time for lists, even for people who aren't as obsessed with them as I am. In the spirit of "contained chaos" (see yesterday's list and my underwear drawer) this is a rather random list of "Things About 2016," as I experienced it... It's not a comprehensive list of all the "big … Continue reading Things About My 2016 (List#6)