Vented Uplift Community Blog

Note: the following blog was written in 2021, but holds a wealth of truth for us today, in 2022! “Have you thought about what your inspirational word is going to be for the new year?” asked my therapist Dr. A. I didn’t hesitate. I had a perfect inspirational word in mind. It came to me easily. There were signs all around signaling my new inspirational word. And now with the state of our country — between the mounting cases of Covid-19 and actions on our Capitol last week, I believe in this word even more. Cultivating compassion “It’s compassion,” I said to Dr. A. “Compassion with a big C." The world needs more compassion so we can heal from our losses of the past year and the divisions that are creeping into this one. My family and friends need more compassion so they can continue to manage through this raging pandemic and ease into a new normal once it passes. Celebrating another sixty-something birthday last week made me realize that I too need to practice more compassion toward...

  I have neglected to tell you all my results of my breast biopsy that was taken a few days after America’s Big Deal. How I went front being glamorous one night choosing fun outfits to choosing what to wear to meet with your doctor at Sloan to discuss your results..makeup? No makeup? Do I do my hair? Wear something cute? Something comfortable?  There was just one thing I knew I would be wearing and that was my #fuckcancer bracelet. All these years of gifting cancer patients, people asking me why I do what I do, interviewing so many woman, raising money for different breast organizations, for saying it was for Norman and so many family members on this Friday the 17th I wore it to say #fuckcancer for myself! On that day I was meeting with my breast surgeon to hear what kind of breast cancer I have and at what stage it is, what my options are and make a decision. I had already received a phone call in the middle of a Holiday party on Monday night and was told that I have at lea...

  On September 28, 2019, I drank my last sip of alcohol. Well, it wasn’t a sip. More like a bottle or two of wine. Truly, the amount doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole for decades. Alcohol was not serving me and I needed to let it go. At the time, I wasn’t aware it would be my last time drinking. But, as my anxiety surged through the night and crippled me throughout the next day, I finally decided I had enough. If you are fulfilled and happy with your alcoholic drinks of choice, this blog post may not resonate for you. I am not here to judge, diagnose, or preach to you. However, if you are a person that cannot understand why a highly addictive chemical depressant makes you feel like a trash human when everyone else is having so.much.fun…this IS for you. I needed posts like this 2 years ago when I felt like I was the only person on earth that felt that way. Spoiler alert - I am not. If you feel that way too - you are not alone...

I lost my shit today. I tried to find a way to keep it under control like I have so many times before. I kept telling myself, "Don't do it, Maureen. Just breathe. Just count to ten. Do not give him the satisfaction of knowing he has pushed your buttons one too many times." I have a TREASURE TROVE of skills to pull from for moments like this, but instead of pulling from it, I kicked it over and lost my shit. To most people, this isn't something you beat yourself up over. But even when you've put time and effort into learning how to respond to things you cannot control in a peaceful manner, in a split second, one passive-aggressive dig too many can bring all of that work crashing down. It's disappointing, and I don't want to believe one person can have that much influence on me! How could I allow myself to lose control over something said to me by a co-worker who means nothing to me? Most people know someone like him. The one with the razor-sharp tongue an...