Hello, and welcome back to Craughing and welcome to our weekly installment of Faceless Friday. Facless Friday is a weekly post where we dig deep, or not so deep, and find the gratidude for all the things.

This is my second attempt at writing this week’s Faceless Friday as my laptop is old and frozen and didn’t save jack shit… so that’s something.  Maybe this go around will be a better version (she whispers to herself trying to remember all the words that didn’t autosave). Let’s not hold our collective breath though.

Let us begin! This week my face was rocked off by:

MUSIC. Always and forever my emotional support, my muse, my inspiration and my therapist.  This week my music rotation included Nic D for the days I needed to get my body moving,  Zach Bryan’s new album (a few dozen times) because I’m in my feelings and this song by The Silo Sisters.

This song has been on repeat more than I should admit and inspired me to write the blog post The Missing Stair about my family and our own missing stair. I am so encouraged to see others sharing their stories on the group’s tik tok and it is breathtaking to see how much healing can happen from music. That rocks my face off, and so do the Silo Sisters for becoming a band (just to release this song!) And for the work they are doing to raise awareness and help for survivors.  Healing and sharing? That rocks.

FRIENDS. Specifically the ones that “do not give one shit” about the clutter of my home, the fact that every single dish in my house is dirty, and there is dog hair lurking in every corner. The friends that don’t care that my mind and spirit are just as cluttered and trashed at the moment. The friends that check in on me because the Universe sent them and knew I needed an extra dose of love. I am so lucky. Having true friendship rocks my face off.

MISTER MAN. My little kindergartener that tells me every day how much he hates school but still gets up and goes. He swears he only likes lunch, but has managed to get up every morning without much fuss and go. He has had a hard go at life already and has some pretty serious attachment issues thanks to Moodswing Maverick (his dad) so the fact that he leaves me every day to go to school is a very big and brave thing. My son rocks my face off every day, and I am especially proud he is going to school.

SELF KINDNESS. I have been in the beginning phase of a ptsd flair up for the last few days. In the past I wouldn’t have recognized the signs and would have kept pushing myself and my mind at full speed until everything went to shit and my body and mind shut down. This would typically end with me in bed, in pain, and in depression that I sometimes can’t get out of without some serious help. I’m trying to do things differently now and offer myself some grace and kindness.  I have seen the signs (some even physical as I wake up with my own fingerprints on my arms) and I have given myself permission to not push myself. To treat myself kindly and sweetly as if I were a child with a cold. Allowing myself to rest, and breathe.  I’m not sure if it will help ease this flair or make it pass faster, but it sure as hell beats my being a dick to myself. Self love rocks my face off.

And because this is getting longer than I anticipated and I’m sure you have things you need to get back to, let’s get to the short list. Here is a rundown of honorable mentions of things that rocked my face off this week:

Coffee (always and forever, amen), the beasts, running water, meds, prescription insurance (finally!), cuddles, a big beautiful comfortable bed, not texting first 😎, not punching MM at the gas station when I saw his deadbeat ass, a truck to use while my car is dead, my son’s new school, Moonshadow, sleep, good perfume, morning friend time, funny videos, The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart (seriously such a good series!!), my mower and mowing, good headphones from Temu, friends that help me pay my bills since life is hard, and YOU dear reader, YOU rock my face off. THANK YOU for being here.

Much love,

Craughing Girl