Tag: creative

Do You Believe That Crying Is A Sign of Weakness or Strength?

When I saw that question posted to the Steno Support Group some time ago, I wrote the following, and I’d like to share it now:

“It can be a sign of many things. In the context you are asking, I believe it is a sign of strength. Being able to admit to ourselves that we are overwhelmed, that we feel like crying, that we need to cry, that’s a powerful thing. Suppression of negative emotions can cause physical and mental health problems. There is nothing stronger than keeping yourself healthy so that you do not harm yourself or others.

Look at all the people that wander the world looking down on others for not suppressing their feelings. Do we believe that it is healthy to look down on others because others have not mastered the suppression of emotion? No. We know it is not healthy for them or the people they belittle. What is unhealthy makes us weaker.

So if all it takes to be strong and wash away the toxicity is a good cry, choose strength.”

P.S.

Veritext.org now forwards to Stenonymous because I’m King of the Trolls.

And now for some creative musing…

A court reporter reaches out to Christopher Day, writer at Stenonymous.com

But the truth was I stopped caring about the profession a long time ago…

Such things were the purview of Dom Tursi.

He truly was the last of us.

We who cared about the history.

Did I ever tell you, friends?

I started writing to preserve that history. I saw the organizations of our ilk were malleable.

They would erase history to save themselves.

Who would record the erasure of the scribes?

We are, after all, a pixel in a much larger picture.

But what do you call a picture with missing pixels?

Broken.

But I no longer cared for the profession.

It was the people within I loved.

And some loved me.

You would break them?

Oh, I am not a violent man.

But how dare you?

I will break you.

You will cower in fear, cur.

I will tear down your institutions.

I will make your apathy uncomfortable.

I will butcher your sacred cows.

I will lead others.

No, enlighten them.

I keep my promises.

And I admit I have said all this before.

Those who lambast repetition do not understand the art of spreading a message.

For each time it is repeated, a new soul joins with mine.

They trust me.

They believe in me.

They are me?

I am them.

Some call it the Butterfly Effect.

We call it living.

We will make a difference.

We can change the world.

Because our neurodivergence makes connections some cannot readily make.

We will win.

Because we dream of rewriting history…

…to suit the people that love us.

For we are no different from you.

Help Chris DeGrazio Celebrate International Women’s Day!

Chris DeGrazio is one of the newest professionals on our scene and he’s already making a great impact on the field. You might’ve heard Chris interviewing Anna Mar on Confessions of a Stenographer. You might’ve seen the wonderful collage put together for Court Reporting & Captioning Week 2021. No matter where you’ve heard of Chris, I’d love to boost his next creative idea. In celebration of March 8, International Women’s Day, Chris DeGrazio will be working on a collage for court reporter women and their hobbies. So if you’re somebody that wants to be in that spotlight or help put together more content to showcase our profession, here’s your chance, make sure to reach out to him.

While I’m on the topic of highlighting new or upcoming reporter accomplishments, let me just again promote Shaunise Day and her work with Confessions of a Stenographer. I had the privilege of being able to sponsor the episode where Kimberly Xavier was interviewed by Kristine Utley. I had some time yesterday to sit down and listen to the entire interview, and everything Kimberly said resonated deeply with me. She talked about the diversity of our field, the importance of diversity in leadership, the importance of getting involved, and the nonprofit Stenovator Pathway Solutions (Facebook). Getting to hear from her really made me realize that we could be almost two thousand miles apart and still be thinking so many of the same things.

It’s a fascinating time for reporting. When I was a student the common-sense advice was “settle down, don’t rock the boat, don’t stick out too much.” Let me be one to say that did not work. That did not get us to a good place. As Connie Psaros put it, we need more lions, not lambs. So if you’re a working reporter reading my blog and you’ve got a little extra time on your hands, please take the time out to support students and new reporters. These are our upcoming lions, and we cannot let their passions be tamed in the same way that I know some of ours were. Rock that boat, stick out, and keep doing your best to showcase our field! You’re doing an amazing job.