Courage in Battle

My childhood memories may not be the same as yours and some may even find them disturbing. Because my childhood recollections are of human depravity it won't stop it from existing just because you would prefer I don't remind you it exists.

My memories are mine and I am the one that lives with them. I'm okay with all of that but I won't hide my past for anyone either. Sharing my struggles and my victories are a part of my authenticity as a human being. 

My past is a part of who I am and I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me because I live with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) and must enter a battlezone within myself everyday. I share my experiences, my achievements, and my battles - to remind people that we should never back down from evil, as a reminder to myself of the extraordinary strength it took to survive, and constant reminder that "strength" came from within me and was needed to beat the odds . . . those of us who choose to "speak out" - our stories serve as testimony others can SURVIVE too! ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

Time Waits For No One . . .

We forget how fast time can fly, until we are forced to say our last goodbye. We are so selfish with our time. 

In this life, we are given time, not to fill our bank account and add to our possessions but to make a difference, to care, to love, to pick someone up. 

We cant take back the time we didn't offer someone, because as Mick says, "Time waits for no one." ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

The Domestic Battlefield

Idaho- Army combat vet Erik Jorgensen, was reported 
missing July 19, 2013, and later found deceased, 
a victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The "Unknown Soldier" represents the sacrifice made on behalf of our soldiers, young and old but many return home without the understanding, honor, and care due to them.

We lose 22 active military and veterans per day to suicide, that is nearly one hero per hour. Let us not forget those who gave their lives serving our country but also remember those "unknown soldiers" who are still here, living a daily life and death struggle with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

TBI, PTSD , and C-PTSD are little understood by the general public. These conditions infiltrate daily lives and proceed to devastate ability to work, raise families, have positive relationships, physical health, not mention brain trauma removes the ability to simply enjoy life. Those with various brain traumas are left with fear, loneliness, desperation, and hopelessness. Without aggressive awareness campaigns to educate, we will continue to sacrifice the lives of our soldiers.

Our living troops need to know there is hope and should never feel abandoned on this domestic battlefield. To win this battle we need people to care. ~ Kym L. Pasqualini (Living with C-PTSD)

Unknown Soldier by Ryan Daniel, is a reminder how much our soldiers give. Maybe it is time we give back.

Our Lifeblood

This is compassion, empathy, acceptance, support, forgiveness, commitment, and true friendship - this is "love" for another who has been broken. 

For those of us who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) whether by war or other trauma . . . this is our lifeblood of survival. ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

https://www.facebook.com/BattlingBare

Think with your head not your heart?

Think with your head and not your heart may be good advice in the cut-throat business world but the chaos in the world reflects the abandonment of virtues associated with the heart. 

We humans tend to over-complicate the most natural and simple things in life. We contemplate what our purpose is, wonder why we are here on earth, wonder why the world is in chaos, spend years in educational institutions to "learn" but they fail to teach the most important lesson of life . . . heart intelligence.

During mummification, the Egyptians threw away the brain, as it computes facts and figures but considered useless without human experience. Modern-day scientists have studied heart transplant recipients to learn why recipients undergo personality changes and have proven the heart, in fact, has its own intelligence.

Our heart intelligence is independent of the brain, yet helps us makes sense of everything the brain collects throughout our lives. Everything our brain knows is useless if not guided by the heart.

Our hearts contain inherent knowledge that guide us. The place of wisdom, compassion, empathy, intuition, forgiveness, and the ability to make good choices that allows us to live our purpose.

If we spent even a fraction of the time we spend in school learning about facts and figures, and instead focused on how to expand our wisdom of the heart, we would be living the answers to life's questions. ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

Dear Friend

Human Metamorphosis

We humans have a tendency to try to balance on the fence of life, much of the time with one foot in the past, and one that will dictate our direction - one of stability, or one of recklessness. 

Our memories should be honored and cherished so that we may recognize and value the future that we alone are responsible for constructing, that too . . . will become a memory. 

It is up to us, to learn through our repeated metamorphosis, so we can build a future that will not be a source of torture for us. 

The past . . . a bottomless treasure chest, we fill with all those things that teach us how to be the most conscience, loving, and thoughtful human we can be, enabling us to see ahead with clarity." ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

Too many rocks

A "heart of stone" can be defined as calcification of the heart and I wonder why do people let their hearts turn to stone? This world doesn't need any more rocks . . .

We can let our hearts heal and feel again. Our past experiences do not need to dictate our futures. This I know.

I wish everyone with a broken heart - peace, love, and the feeling of freedom like fluttering butterfly wings. ~ Kym L. Pasqualini

I Urge You to Care

Well, June is PTSD Awareness month. As many of you know, I suffer from PTSD and I am not alone. Many fear the stigma and never seek help or support. It can be a debilitating condition and still misunderstood by the medical community, not to mention our families and friends. The result . . . we are losing lives at record numbers. Military alone, we are losing one of our heroes every 18 hours. 

PTSD is a scientifically proven brain injury that is the result of trauma (sometimes multiple traumas). It creates physiological symptoms that are too numerous to mention here, chronic systematic inflammation, heart disease, and significantly raises the risk of early death. There is very serious burden of illness that accompanies living with this condition.

So I urge you to care . . . not for me but because suicide should never be an option for anyone to gain peace and revive hope in their lives. I urge you to care because every day we struggle, because everyone matters, because you can save a life just by caring!

Using Personal Bar Codes

My bar code can actually be scanned but does not reveal my self-worth.

Instead of truly valuing our souls, our hearts, the hearts of others, and letting our compassion rule our actions, we tend to measure our value on the external. We place too much value on possessions, success, IQ, comparing our appearance to those depicted in media, social action based upon social perception (needing to be noticed that we are doing good rather than doing good because it is the right thing to do). Maybe we should all just assign ourselves "bar codes" to determine our worth, eh?