The Best of Blydad

Started by Blythe, December 07, 2017, 07:41:53 PM

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marauder13

Quote from: Beguile's Mistress on January 26, 2018, 07:10:43 PM
*nods*  When kids start back to school in September everyone at work gets sick because the children bring home all the germs and viruses from the other kids in class and pass them on to the parents who pass them on to the rest of us!  Makes me wish flame throwers weren't illegal.

Change the part of the year to late January, and that would be over here exactly, right down to the flame thrower bit too.

Bruja

Quote from: Blythe on January 26, 2018, 06:56:58 PM
Me: I have the flu, am just in the kitchen to take some cough syrup
Blydad: STAY AWAY FROM ME
Blydad: *begins backing away*
Me: Look
Me: I got this from your friend
Me: when we helped paint his house
Me: I hardly even got near him and I still got his stupid flu
Me: HE LITERALLY SNEEZED ON YOU SEVERAL TIMES AND YOU'RE FINE
Blydad: ...
Blydad: ...
Blydad: *holds up a cross*
Blydad: BEGONE FLU
Me: That's only for vampires
Blydad: Look it's like a parasite that eats you or whatever
Blydad: Close enough
Me: I don't think that's how the flu works, not quite, but I guess I get why you're worried.
Blydad: I'm in my 60s
Blydad: And the flu is big fucking deal for me in this stage of my life
Me: THEN WHY DID YOU LET YOUR FRIEND SNEEZE ON YOU
Blydad: I'm a parent
Blydad: which means
Blydad: by the Law of Parenting
Blydad: any illness my kids get I will also catch
Blydad: so my friend is safe to be near, whereas you are like a walking germ time bomb
Blydad: on a serious note, though, seriously, can you just spend, like, the next week in your room
Blydad: and please don't even breathe near me
Me: ...
Me: *sighs*
Me: Okay. *turns to head to my room*
Blydad: GODDAMN IT YOU SIGHED
Blydad: I BET I HAVE THE FLU NOW

This is the most appropriate and accurate description of flu passage. Hope you are feeling better Bly!

CrownedSun

It works in reverse, too, though. ;) If your parents have something, and you are around your parents, you get it too.

It's like MAGIC!

Blythe

Blydad: I'm lazy.
Me: Why do you say that?
Blydad: So I was dreaming.
Blydad: And I dreamed my friend offered me some construction work
Blydad: You know the guy, the guy I do painting for? The one who I actually procrastinated about already and was supposed to finish painting his barn?
Blydad: Well in this dream he offered me work
Blydad: And I said, "I can't right now"
Blydad: He asked why.
Blydad: "I'm too lazy" was what I told him.
Me: So...you're saying you think you're so lazy that you don't even want to work in your dreams?
Blydad: Yes.
Me: Well, today was payday; you did do some adulting today. That's not lazy.
Blydad: If you think about it, actually I made you do all my adulting today. I just drove you places because you didn't want to drive.
Me: ...
Blydad: God, this talk of laziness is exhausting,
Blydad: I'm going to go take a nap.

marauder13

#104
I was eating a biscuit (or what Americans would call a cookie) while reading this, and I almost spat out chewed up crumbs all over my laptop while laughing.

Beguile's Mistress

Just thinking about Blydad makes me smile and reading that post made me laugh out loud and I'm still smiling.  I needed Blydad right now so even without trying he managed to accomplish something. :-)

Mirrah

"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be." - Margulis
Status: Closed. Semi Hiatus. | Have you taken care of yourself today?

Blythe

#107
A rare exchange featuring Bly-Sis!

Bly-Sis: I'm going to help y'all clean the old place up since I'm visiting for a while!
Blydad: We did clean, I know we did.
Bly-Sis: *meaningful judgemental look*
Bly-Sis: *draws 'Wash Me' on a bookshelf*
Bly-Sis: Cleaning includes dusting, dad.
Blydad: ...no.
Bly-Sis: *getting out a duster*
Bly-Sis: Yes.
Blydad: I hate dusting. It always makes me feel like one of those maids in the little dresses waving about a fluffy duster.
Bly-Sis: ...
Me: ...
Bly-Sis: I am one million percent sure that you are overreacting to dusting, dad.
Blydad: *sits in his chair with a grumpy looking expression*
Blydad: Not gonna dust. I'm an adult and that means I can choose when to adult and I choose not to.
Bly-Sis: *dusts the bookshelf*
Blydad: No, no, c'mon, you don't have to do that, you are our guest.
Bly-Sis: I think I just destroyed a small civilization. Yikes. Like, most of the house seems fine but I think you two never really think about shelves and corners. You two are going to learn how to dust things properly before I leave.
Bly-Sis: *meaningfully looks at me*
Bly-Sis: And by 'you two' I mean you, because dad is pointedly ignoring me right now.
Blydad: *literally puts his fingers in his ears*
Blydad: LALALA NOT LISTENING LALALA NOT FUCKING ADULTING TODAY BECAUSE MY ARTHRITIS SAYS SO LALALA
Me: ...okay.
Bly-Sis: Is he always like this?
Me: Yes.
Bly-Sis: I missed being home. It's so nice that dad never changes. Don't forget behind the bookshelf; you have to dust there, too. Just because you don't always look at it doesn't mean it doesn't always exist.

AndyZ

It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

Ons/Offs   -  My schedule and A/As   -    My Avatars

If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

Wistful Dream

~giggles~ That was awesome!


Lurking

*chuckles* So glad the Bly-Sis visit is going well. ^.^
On Hiatus

Mirrah

Reading this thread always makes me chuckle.
"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be." - Margulis
Status: Closed. Semi Hiatus. | Have you taken care of yourself today?

Blythe

#113
Blydad and Bly-Sis had an incredibly poignant conversation before she went home today, and I wanted to share it. This is a different tone than earlier sharing, but I really feel like it was worth sharing. I know I won't have the exact conversation quoted, as it went on a bit, but I wanted to share what I recalled of it. This is not on the same 'humorous' tone.

Please note that this one will talk about depression, though nothing scary about it, but I wanted to mention it in case people wanted to pass this one by, just in case. For reference: Blydad and Bly-Sis both have depression.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Blydad: I want to talk to you about depression before you leave today.
Bly-Sis: Sure, okay dad.
Bly-Sis: What about?
Blydad: I've had this for a really long time.
Blydad: And the little thoughts in the back of your head, the ones that undermine you, that stab a sword into your self-esteem...those don't go away.
Blydad: And when you go through a bad crisis, it does get worse. I know you've been through a lot lately.
Blydad: I wish I could say it gets easier as you get older, but it doesn't.
Bly-Sis: This is...not starting off on a good note, dad.
Blydad: Bear with me.
Blydad: One thing that has always helped me is that I'm a logical person. Emotions lie. The chemicals depression has fucked to hell in my brain lie. But my logic doesn't lie. I've had to learn, over the years, to trust logic instead of my feelings. You learn to live in two different minds about everything: the logical side you know to be true, and the emotional side that you feel to be true. It's very subtle and pervasive. It will sneak up on you.
Blydad: And logic will help you 'notice' depression when it rears up. Do you know how often over the years my depression-thoughts have contradicted each other? It's always a sure sign that I'm in a bad place and a signal I need to look to self-care.
Bly-Sis: I don't understand. I want to, but I don't.
Blydad: Okay, example time.
Blydad: My therapist gave me this as homework once. Been doing it ever since.

[At this juncture, Blydad pulled out a piece of paper dated 'May. 2007' on it. On it was written a variety of really negative statements, such as "I'm stupid.
-12:00 noon" and "I'm always wrong -2:23 p.m." He singled out these two statements in the following exchange.]


Blydad: Just look at these two.
Bly-Sis: Yeah, I think that way all the time. I'm not sure what you're saying.
Blydad: They can't both be right.
Bly-Sis: What?
Blydad: If I'm always wrong...then I'm wrong about being stupid.
Blydad: If I'm stupid, how would I know if I'm always wrong?
Blydad: When I catch myself contradicting myself that way, that's when I know the depression's in full-swing.
Bly-Sis: Okay. But I mean, what do I do about it? It's not easy to get help.
Blydad: Again, bear with me.
Blydad: Sometimes you just have to break the cycle. Sometimes you have to be your own reason to smile, even while you're drowning.
Blydad: So do you remember that year? That month?
Bly-Sis: Wasn't that when [Blythe] graduated high school?

[At this point I gave a cheerful wave but did not intrude on their conversation]

Blydad: Yes, it was. The notes I showed you were written on the day he graduated. Do you remember what I did at his graduation?
Bly-Sis: Oh god. I do. That was hilarious.
Blydad: I ran down from the bleachers and onto the football field where all the graduates were right after the mortarboards got thrown screaming 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAY" and I had one of those sparkler things. I danced on the football field while everyone watched. And people laughed.
Bly-Sis: *laughing* [Blythe] was so embarrassed but he was really happy, because you were the happiest parent there.
Blydad: Why do you think I did that?
Bly-Sis: Honestly, I just thought you were happy.
Blydad: No, I was emotionally drowning. My wife at the time--your mother--had been very horrible to me the night before. I was sad because I was losing my last kid, who was going to move out-of-state the next week. I was still new to retirement and struggling with physical pain from my hands and back.
Blydad: But I also knew that sometimes you have to break the cycle.
Blydad: Do you know how cathartic it is to scream in public? To run and dance and wave? I was in my fifties and I was letting the world know I exist. I was proving that paper wrong, even if I felt ridiculous doing it. No other parent ran out onto the field.
Blydad: But no one yelled at me. No one judged me.
Blydad: And you realize in moments like that...that you are your own worst critic. That in reality, if you had to think of one true negative feeling about yourself, it's this: you feel so strongly that it's a tornado, when really all you needed was to dance a little in the wind. Because sometimes you just have to do something to remind that one traitorous part of you that lies to you that it's wrong. And that you deserve to run onto the field with a sparkler.
Bly-Sis: I didn't even realize you felt that way, dad. You don't normally talk about this stuff...
Blydad: You have the misfortune to have a father with depression. I have not taken the time to talk to you like I should because I was afraid. Because again, that emotional side of me that feels things to be true even when they aren't convinced me I would not be able to help.
Blydad: But that was wrong.
Blydad: Anyways, come on, we're going outside. Trust me, it's worth it.

[At this point, they both went outside and several minutes passed. I was a little concerned, but suddenly, running by the front window, there they were....screaming and waving their arms, circling the house. I went outside to sort of 'follow' them.]

Blydad: IT WORKS SEE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Bly-Sis: THIS IS RIDICULOUS
Blydad: OH GOD IT IS
Bly-Sis: DAD
Bly-Sis: YOU LOOK GOOFY
Blydad: YOU DO TOO
Bly-Sis: THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING
Blydad: THEIR DOGS ARE WATCHING. THAT'S JUST WEIRD, THEY AREN'T EVEN BARKING.
Bly-Sis: LET'S STOP
Blydad: IT'S NOT A FIELD
Blydad: BUT THIS'LL DO FOR MY LESSON
Blydad: JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE RUNNING ALONE
Blydad: YOU AREN'T
Blydad: JESUS I'M TOO DAMN OLD TO BE RUNNING OW OW OW
Bly-Sis: *wheezing* AND I'M TOO FAT

[They came back inside and got water at this point. Both of them were laughing really hard and smiling]

Blydad: Anyways, you probably wonder why we had to do that.
Bly-Sis: The really nice statement about not being alone in the end?
Blydad: That? Oh. No.
Blydad: Whenever your negative thoughts overwhelm you
Blydad: I want you to think
Blydad: "One time my dad made me run screaming around the house, and we both knew it was stupid and for this supposedly 'good' lesson about depression, and nothing about me will ever surpass how dumb that felt because the neighbors were watching. Just two grown damn adults doing pointless attention-getting things. If I can do that, I can do this. I can make it."
Bly-Sis: ....I feel weirdly better.
Bly-Sis: You're a good dad, dad.

Ket

*tears up* That's so beautiful.
she wears strength and darkness equally well, the girl has always been half goddess, half hell

you can find me on discord Ket#8117
Ons & Offs~Menagerie~Pulse~Den of Iniquity
wee little Ketlings don't yet have the ability to spit forth flame with the ferocity needed to vanquish a horde of vehicular bound tiny arachnids.

CrownedSun

As someone that also deals with depression, I have to say, your Dad's words helped me too. :-) So, thank you for sharing (and him for the thoughts).

...I'm not gonna run around outside screaming, though, it's almost 10pm at night. ;)

NikangKaori

Beautiful human being of a father
Lovely Niki's Ons, Offs & Desires & RP Examples

RP Partner Vacancy: No Vacancy
Fire & Gasoline - Opposites Attract RP
Paying Off A Debt - Regency Era RP

"Writing a good story is like creating art. And I want all of my art pieces to be beautiful. That's just who I am."

Moonhare

My middle daughter deals with depression and anxiety, so I read this to her and she was as moved as I was. The talk about you being your own worse critic was so on point.


marauder13

Not that he is that old, but those are the words of the Ancient Master, full of wisdom shown in the most unique of ways.

I am honoured that you share those moments with the rest of us, Bly. You have an amazing dad.

Nowherewoman

Truly, no words.  You are all blessed.
Instead of obsessing on the person you want to be, focus on who you DON'T want to be. It's much easier to not do certain things than to break your head on some ideal of yourself.

When the dust settles, you may find out you've become who you were supposed to be all along.

more me here now!  (O/Os, ideas and junk): https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=215830.0

and mea culpas  (A/As): https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=221151.0

Bruja

Quote from: Blythe on February 25, 2018, 08:36:39 PM
Blydad and Bly-Sis had an incredibly poignant conversation before she went home today, and I wanted to share it. This is a different tone than earlier sharing, but I really feel like it was worth sharing. I know I won't have the exact conversation quoted, as it went on a bit, but I wanted to share what I recalled of it. This is not on the same 'humorous' tone.

Please note that this one will talk about depression, though nothing scary about it, but I wanted to mention it in case people wanted to pass this one by, just in case. For reference: Blydad and Bly-Sis both have depression.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Blydad: I want to talk to you about depression before you leave today.
Bly-Sis: Sure, okay dad.
Bly-Sis: What about?
Blydad: I've had this for a really long time.
Blydad: And the little thoughts in the back of your head, the ones that undermine you, that stab a sword into your self-esteem...those don't go away.
Blydad: And when you go through a bad crisis, it does get worse. I know you've been through a lot lately.
Blydad: I wish I could say it gets easier as you get older, but it doesn't.
Bly-Sis: This is...not starting off on a good note, dad.
Blydad: Bear with me.
Blydad: One thing that has always helped me is that I'm a logical person. Emotions lie. The chemicals depression has fucked to hell in my brain lie. But my logic doesn't lie. I've had to learn, over the years, to trust logic instead of my feelings. You learn to live in two different minds about everything: the logical side you know to be true, and the emotional side that you feel to be true. It's very subtle and pervasive. It will sneak up on you.
Blydad: And logic will help you 'notice' depression when it rears up. Do you know how often over the years my depression-thoughts have contradicted each other? It's always a sure sign that I'm in a bad place and a signal I need to look to self-care.
Bly-Sis: I don't understand. I want to, but I don't.
Blydad: Okay, example time.
Blydad: My therapist gave me this as homework once. Been doing it ever since.

[At this juncture, Blydad pulled out a piece of paper dated 'May. 2007' on it. On it was written a variety of really negative statements, such as "I'm stupid.
-12:00 noon" and "I'm always wrong -2:23 p.m." He singled out these two statements in the following exchange.]


Blydad: Just look at these two.
Bly-Sis: Yeah, I think that way all the time. I'm not sure what you're saying.
Blydad: They can't both be right.
Bly-Sis: What?
Blydad: If I'm always wrong...then I'm wrong about being stupid.
Blydad: If I'm stupid, how would I know if I'm always wrong?
Blydad: When I catch myself contradicting myself that way, that's when I know the depression's in full-swing.
Bly-Sis: Okay. But I mean, what do I do about it? It's not easy to get help.
Blydad: Again, bear with me.
Blydad: Sometimes you just have to break the cycle. Sometimes you have to be your own reason to smile, even while you're drowning.
Blydad: So do you remember that year? That month?
Bly-Sis: Wasn't that when [Blythe] graduated high school?

[At this point I gave a cheerful wave but did not intrude on their conversation]

Blydad: Yes, it was. The notes I showed you were written on the day he graduated. Do you remember what I did at his graduation?
Bly-Sis: Oh god. I do. That was hilarious.
Blydad: I ran down from the bleachers and onto the football field where all the graduates were right after the mortarboards got thrown screaming 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAY" and I had one of those sparkler things. I danced on the football field while everyone watched. And people laughed.
Bly-Sis: *laughing* [Blythe] was so embarrassed but he was really happy, because you were the happiest parent there.
Blydad: Why do you think I did that?
Bly-Sis: Honestly, I just thought you were happy.
Blydad: No, I was emotionally drowning. My wife at the time--your mother--had been very horrible to me the night before. I was sad because I was losing my last kid, who was going to move out-of-state the next week. I was still new to retirement and struggling with physical pain from my hands and back.
Blydad: But I also knew that sometimes you have to break the cycle.
Blydad: Do you know how cathartic it is to scream in public? To run and dance and wave? I was in my fifties and I was letting the world know I exist. I was proving that paper wrong, even if I felt ridiculous doing it. No other parent ran out onto the field.
Blydad: But no one yelled at me. No one judged me.
Blydad: And you realize in moments like that...that you are your own worst critic. That in reality, if you had to think of one true negative feeling about yourself, it's this: you feel so strongly that it's a tornado, when really all you needed was to dance a little in the wind. Because sometimes you just have to do something to remind that one traitorous part of you that lies to you that it's wrong. And that you deserve to run onto the field with a sparkler.
Bly-Sis: I didn't even realize you felt that way, dad. You don't normally talk about this stuff...
Blydad: You have the misfortune to have a father with depression. I have not taken the time to talk to you like I should because I was afraid. Because again, that emotional side of me that feels things to be true even when they aren't convinced me I would not be able to help.
Blydad: But that was wrong.
Blydad: Anyways, come on, we're going outside. Trust me, it's worth it.

[At this point, they both went outside and several minutes passed. I was a little concerned, but suddenly, running by the front window, there they were....screaming and waving their arms, circling the house. I went outside to sort of 'follow' them.]

Blydad: IT WORKS SEE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Bly-Sis: THIS IS RIDICULOUS
Blydad: OH GOD IT IS
Bly-Sis: DAD
Bly-Sis: YOU LOOK GOOFY
Blydad: YOU DO TOO
Bly-Sis: THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING
Blydad: THEIR DOGS ARE WATCHING. THAT'S JUST WEIRD, THEY AREN'T EVEN BARKING.
Bly-Sis: LET'S STOP
Blydad: IT'S NOT A FIELD
Blydad: BUT THIS'LL DO FOR MY LESSON
Blydad: JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE RUNNING ALONE
Blydad: YOU AREN'T
Blydad: JESUS I'M TOO DAMN OLD TO BE RUNNING OW OW OW
Bly-Sis: *wheezing* AND I'M TOO FAT

[They came back inside and got water at this point. Both of them were laughing really hard and smiling]

Blydad: Anyways, you probably wonder why we had to do that.
Bly-Sis: The really nice statement about not being alone in the end?
Blydad: That? Oh. No.
Blydad: Whenever your negative thoughts overwhelm you
Blydad: I want you to think
Blydad: "One time my dad made me run screaming around the house, and we both knew it was stupid and for this supposedly 'good' lesson about depression, and nothing about me will ever surpass how dumb that felt because the neighbors were watching. Just two grown damn adults doing pointless attention-getting things. If I can do that, I can do this. I can make it."
Bly-Sis: ....I feel weirdly better.
Bly-Sis: You're a good dad, dad.


I just have a million feel and tears and just moar HUGS

Blythe

#122
Hey, all, you might be wondering why the thread has moved. I have chosen to move the thread to the Forum Games/Socializing area so that people are permitted to share these anecdotes about Blydad with non-members without running afoul of rules-issues. I don't post anything over PG-13 anyways since this is just me mentioning things Blydad talks about, so I think this thread shall find it's new home here in Forum Games/Socializing. I'll update the first post to give a bit more context about 'Blydad' for those that have never seen the thread before.

Carry on. :)

Mirrah

Quote from: Blythe on February 25, 2018, 08:36:39 PM
Blydad and Bly-Sis had an incredibly poignant conversation before she went home today, and I wanted to share it. This is a different tone than earlier sharing, but I really feel like it was worth sharing. I know I won't have the exact conversation quoted, as it went on a bit, but I wanted to share what I recalled of it. This is not on the same 'humorous' tone.

Please note that this one will talk about depression, though nothing scary about it, but I wanted to mention it in case people wanted to pass this one by, just in case. For reference: Blydad and Bly-Sis both have depression.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Blydad: I want to talk to you about depression before you leave today.
Bly-Sis: Sure, okay dad.
Bly-Sis: What about?
Blydad: I've had this for a really long time.
Blydad: And the little thoughts in the back of your head, the ones that undermine you, that stab a sword into your self-esteem...those don't go away.
Blydad: And when you go through a bad crisis, it does get worse. I know you've been through a lot lately.
Blydad: I wish I could say it gets easier as you get older, but it doesn't.
Bly-Sis: This is...not starting off on a good note, dad.
Blydad: Bear with me.
Blydad: One thing that has always helped me is that I'm a logical person. Emotions lie. The chemicals depression has fucked to hell in my brain lie. But my logic doesn't lie. I've had to learn, over the years, to trust logic instead of my feelings. You learn to live in two different minds about everything: the logical side you know to be true, and the emotional side that you feel to be true. It's very subtle and pervasive. It will sneak up on you.
Blydad: And logic will help you 'notice' depression when it rears up. Do you know how often over the years my depression-thoughts have contradicted each other? It's always a sure sign that I'm in a bad place and a signal I need to look to self-care.
Bly-Sis: I don't understand. I want to, but I don't.
Blydad: Okay, example time.
Blydad: My therapist gave me this as homework once. Been doing it ever since.

[At this juncture, Blydad pulled out a piece of paper dated 'May. 2007' on it. On it was written a variety of really negative statements, such as "I'm stupid.
-12:00 noon" and "I'm always wrong -2:23 p.m." He singled out these two statements in the following exchange.]


Blydad: Just look at these two.
Bly-Sis: Yeah, I think that way all the time. I'm not sure what you're saying.
Blydad: They can't both be right.
Bly-Sis: What?
Blydad: If I'm always wrong...then I'm wrong about being stupid.
Blydad: If I'm stupid, how would I know if I'm always wrong?
Blydad: When I catch myself contradicting myself that way, that's when I know the depression's in full-swing.
Bly-Sis: Okay. But I mean, what do I do about it? It's not easy to get help.
Blydad: Again, bear with me.
Blydad: Sometimes you just have to break the cycle. Sometimes you have to be your own reason to smile, even while you're drowning.
Blydad: So do you remember that year? That month?
Bly-Sis: Wasn't that when [Blythe] graduated high school?

[At this point I gave a cheerful wave but did not intrude on their conversation]

Blydad: Yes, it was. The notes I showed you were written on the day he graduated. Do you remember what I did at his graduation?
Bly-Sis: Oh god. I do. That was hilarious.
Blydad: I ran down from the bleachers and onto the football field where all the graduates were right after the mortarboards got thrown screaming 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAY" and I had one of those sparkler things. I danced on the football field while everyone watched. And people laughed.
Bly-Sis: *laughing* [Blythe] was so embarrassed but he was really happy, because you were the happiest parent there.
Blydad: Why do you think I did that?
Bly-Sis: Honestly, I just thought you were happy.
Blydad: No, I was emotionally drowning. My wife at the time--your mother--had been very horrible to me the night before. I was sad because I was losing my last kid, who was going to move out-of-state the next week. I was still new to retirement and struggling with physical pain from my hands and back.
Blydad: But I also knew that sometimes you have to break the cycle.
Blydad: Do you know how cathartic it is to scream in public? To run and dance and wave? I was in my fifties and I was letting the world know I exist. I was proving that paper wrong, even if I felt ridiculous doing it. No other parent ran out onto the field.
Blydad: But no one yelled at me. No one judged me.
Blydad: And you realize in moments like that...that you are your own worst critic. That in reality, if you had to think of one true negative feeling about yourself, it's this: you feel so strongly that it's a tornado, when really all you needed was to dance a little in the wind. Because sometimes you just have to do something to remind that one traitorous part of you that lies to you that it's wrong. And that you deserve to run onto the field with a sparkler.
Bly-Sis: I didn't even realize you felt that way, dad. You don't normally talk about this stuff...
Blydad: You have the misfortune to have a father with depression. I have not taken the time to talk to you like I should because I was afraid. Because again, that emotional side of me that feels things to be true even when they aren't convinced me I would not be able to help.
Blydad: But that was wrong.
Blydad: Anyways, come on, we're going outside. Trust me, it's worth it.

[At this point, they both went outside and several minutes passed. I was a little concerned, but suddenly, running by the front window, there they were....screaming and waving their arms, circling the house. I went outside to sort of 'follow' them.]

Blydad: IT WORKS SEE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Bly-Sis: THIS IS RIDICULOUS
Blydad: OH GOD IT IS
Bly-Sis: DAD
Bly-Sis: YOU LOOK GOOFY
Blydad: YOU DO TOO
Bly-Sis: THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING
Blydad: THEIR DOGS ARE WATCHING. THAT'S JUST WEIRD, THEY AREN'T EVEN BARKING.
Bly-Sis: LET'S STOP
Blydad: IT'S NOT A FIELD
Blydad: BUT THIS'LL DO FOR MY LESSON
Blydad: JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE RUNNING ALONE
Blydad: YOU AREN'T
Blydad: JESUS I'M TOO DAMN OLD TO BE RUNNING OW OW OW
Bly-Sis: *wheezing* AND I'M TOO FAT

[They came back inside and got water at this point. Both of them were laughing really hard and smiling]

Blydad: Anyways, you probably wonder why we had to do that.
Bly-Sis: The really nice statement about not being alone in the end?
Blydad: That? Oh. No.
Blydad: Whenever your negative thoughts overwhelm you
Blydad: I want you to think
Blydad: "One time my dad made me run screaming around the house, and we both knew it was stupid and for this supposedly 'good' lesson about depression, and nothing about me will ever surpass how dumb that felt because the neighbors were watching. Just two grown damn adults doing pointless attention-getting things. If I can do that, I can do this. I can make it."
Bly-Sis: ....I feel weirdly better.
Bly-Sis: You're a good dad, dad.

I really needed this right now. Thank you, Bythe. Thank you, Bly-dad.
"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be." - Margulis
Status: Closed. Semi Hiatus. | Have you taken care of yourself today?

Nadir

thank you for sharing these Bly <3