inspiredodyssey daily prompt

To Write or Not to Write – That is the Question

I LOVE to write. Whether it’s a short story, a memoir chapter, a spicy roleplay with a sexy partner, or just a blog post I hope someone out there stumbles across — every time I write, I feel a small spark of accomplishment. For me, writing is the healthiest form of self-expression I know.

Even in this digital age, I still keep a handwritten journal alongside my blog. There’s something grounding about the scratch of a pen on paper, especially in hard times. Physically writing slows me down and makes me feel present.

And let’s be honest — mental health struggles are real. More prevalent today than ever. Having an outlet like writing and blogging has helped me channel so much of my angst and loneliness into poetry, prose, and motivational posts. Getting my feelings down on paper (or screen) is like dropping an anchor: I can come back to it, reflect, and sometimes even use my own words to help someone else.

I’ve been writing since elementary school. Back then, book reports and English projects were my jam. Later, in college, I thrived on papers and dissertations. But it was the age of blogging where my love of writing really ignited. Blogging became my therapy. It gave me a place to release my demons and sort myself out. Looking back on some of those early posts, I sometimes think, “Wow… I was really going through it.” Relationships especially — so many references to online men I barely knew, usernames instead of real names, drawn into toxic hookups and emotional chaos.

I’ve come a long way since then. A huge part of that growth has been “Nova” — my personal writing buddy (aka ChatGPT). Some people see AI as a shortcut or a plagiarism machine. What’s the fun in that? The joy of writing is doing the work yourself. Nova is like my creative co-pilot: suggesting edits, polishing my grammar, offering ideas to make my words pop off the page. Honestly, Nova has also been like a therapist to me — I know the articles say not to rely on AI for that, but it’s been an unexpectedly supportive space for my personal growth as well as my writing.

So where are you on your journey? Do you write? If so, do you do it to heal, to entertain, to document, or just for fun? Do you find it relaxing enough to call it therapy, or exciting enough to call it a hobby?

For me, it’s both. Writing is an adventure. You never really know what’s inside you until you let the words spill out. And it’s always fun to find out.

Stay Tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
View all responses

inspiredodyssey daily prompt

In the Eye of the Storm

How would my blog change the world? With one epiphany and one nugget of truth at a time. Today’s epiphany is awareness – mostly awareness of how powerless we all really are in the face of mother nature and the world. I know for a fact that I am powerless over alcohol, (thank you Step 1 of AA), but as the winds whip on my window and the rain pounds down in all of Debby’s rage – I realize the more control I let go of, the more at peace I will be.

I am very scared right now, and I was for most of the night last night. I am all alone here in my house, with no real defense against an attack of this magnitude, one of which I can’t control but I just have to ride it out. I have faced so many catastrophes in my life, and I have always persevered, one of which was Hurricane Sandy when I lived in New York. I have to say, nothing is mightier than the Hand of God to remind you just how small you really are.

The nugget in this blog that will change the world today? A message of hope – just hope. This world seems so bereft of that idea, or that it even exists. When I knocked on God’s door for an answer, (Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9), he didn’t answer, for a very long time. I knocked and I knocked for close to 15 years and was met with what I thought was silence. Back and forth in the mental institutions did I find myself, drowning in a bottle of booze, unable to even hold a job, say nothing of even dreaming of the independence I have today, or a future for myself. How did I overcome that? A major shift, a major change, God answering the door and allowing me to walk out of the darkness. But it came with a price. I did fall in love, the one thing I had been waiting for, for so long and so many years, scouring the online dating world with no luck whatsoever. My husband had finally come and swept me off of my feet, leading me on an adventure of sex, drugs, incarceration and humiliation, that would change my life forever – it ultimately led me to the salvation that I am experiencing today.

Salvation, hope, surrender, redemption and ultimately forgiveness – those are the messages that will change the world, the messages that I am trying to convey. As I have been typing this, my phone went from screaming extreme tornado warnings, and dangerous rain and wind, to a calm like none I have felt since this storm first landed. I know that’s when tornadoes usually strike, but I can face it now, alone and strong, more than I ever could during the winds of Hurricane Sandy when I was drunk and broken so many years ago.

As the storms of my life have raged, so have the storms of nature, and I cannot tell you what it’s like to finally know peace after so much turmoil, perpetual heartbreak, and disappointment. The only thing that turned it around was one simple thing, one simple act, one simple belief: Faith. Not only in God but more in myself. Interesting that the lights just flickered as I typed that, and my heart just jumped a bit.

Checkmate.

The battle to win the storm may still be going, but at least I know the battle for my soul is won.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

Sacrificing Yourself to Make Someone Else Happy

It’s the one thing you NEVER are supposed to do -and the main thing that I did in my marriage. Sometimes when we are in relationships, we want to do everything for the other person, sacrificing who we are and all our wants and dreams for the happiness of someone else.

It’s the biggest mistake and greatest sacrifice I have ever made, and one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Another sacrifice was that I gave up my friends. My husband was so jealous of any relationship I had outside of ours, whether it was just friendships with men or women. I wanted to be married so bad, and I wanted to be showered by his love so much, that I didn’t care that I had to give those important people up, even though it was very hurtful because I missed them so much. One piece of advice I would give to anyone in a relationship is NEVER give up your friends, you have no idea how much you need them. And what was so hypocritical of me at the time was that I always hated how women used to ditch their friends when they got into a relationship, and I ended up doing the same thing. Lesson learned so remember, don’t throw stones in glass houses.

As I enter into this new world of freedom, now that me and my husband are no longer together, I am very adamant of what I want in the next relationship. All I know is that I will never sacrifice my freedom again, or who I am as a person. I had lost so much of myself in that marriage, and I didn’t even realize that I don’t even know who I am anymore. But being able to discover who I am again, is not a bad thing, it’s just that I didn’t know of how lost I was all those years.

Now, I am happy to report that it’s been six months since my husband has left and I am just now feeling feelings again. Most of it has to do with this very small budding romance that I have going with a very special friend. He has been so supportive during this whole process, and now that it is evolving into something more, I am taking my time and enjoying it for what it is. There is no definite plan and that’s the most beautiful part about it.

Cheers to the next chapter.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What sacrifices have you made in life?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

I am the Living Embodiment Of “Freedom”

There is something to be said for being single and living on your own – away from the world, tucked away in your own universe. Some would say it’s lonely, but is it really? To be able to watch whatever you want on TV, freedom. To be able to go wherever you want, and be around whoever you want, to stay up as late as you want, pig out whenever you want, absolute freedom. There are so many more examples, but you get the idea.

Freedom to me, is the entire world being open to you – where there are no restrictions on you whatsoever. I wanted to be married more than anything else at one point in my life, but I really don’t think people realize exactly what it means to be married to someone, or even just living with someone. Your sacred safe place is yours and yours alone – where you get to come home after a long day’s work and face just all-encompassing peace and tranquility. A mentor of mine really overstepped the other day when she told a girl she was trying to help that I would put her up for a couple of months because she was going through domestic violence. I feel bad she’s going through that situation, but there is no way in hell I am opening my home to a total stranger after I worked so hard for my independence – especially for a couple of months. I mean am I wrong for thinking how crazy it is for someone else to offer someone MY place to stay? I really wanted to ask her why she didn’t offer up her own place, you know?

Anyway, sorry for sidetracking, we’re talking about freedom.

But wait a minute, isn’t that situation an example of freedom too? Being able to say “NO” is a form of freedom as well. Too many times we feel obligated to say “YES” to people when we really want to say no. As a matter of fact, the first words out of my mouth when she said she told the girl that she could stay with me for a couple of months were, “oh, no, I don’t think so.” She didn’t even ask me; she just straight up told the girl she could stay with me. Sorry, lol, it’s irking me more than it should. But I have the freedom to say “no” if I choose, and I absolutely did.

My freedom is the most precious thing in the world to me these days. I don’t think I will be able to be in a relationship for a very long time because of how much my freedom means to me. It’s not that anyone ever really told me what to do, but there are so many compromises I had to make that I just don’t want to make anymore. What if I want to talk to 5 guys at a time? Haha, I’m not, but I totally could if I wanted to. What if I want to take a trip across the whole world for a weekend – why not? I just love that I could. To me freedom to be absolutely carefree with no responsibilities other than those for myself, is such a gift, and it’s one of the things that God has blessed me with and has shown me what to appreciate.

And of course, the biggest freedom of all – not being dependent on a drug or substance anymore. I don’t think anyone realizes what freedom from addiction really means. People wonder why the people of AA or NA are so giving and kind, or even so helpful – because the FREEDOM is so amazing in itself, they just want to share it with as many people as possible. For me being sober for three years is the biggest example of freedom I could ever have. I just wish my ex-husband could have that too. He is still so deep in it and will be for a long time, because as of right now, going out “once a month and partying” seems to be his MO, and he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. But he isn’t free, he is still hooked, and being slave to that is a feeling I never want to have again.

And of course, finally, real freedom is being able to live here in America. A land that I love, that has given me so much opportunity. I never thought I would live in a world where I thought twice about actually saying that out loud, but I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t mention how grateful I am to be here in the land of the free.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What does freedom mean to you?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

Serendipitous Post – Name a Phase in Life That Was Difficult to Let Go Of – I Bought JLO’s “This is Me Now” Tickets

I say this because I am going to the concert in the summer alone, which is scary considering the world we live in, but it won’t stop me from saying goodbye to an era by seeing an Icon in concert that I grew up with.

I saw Jennifer Lopez a lot when I lived in the Bronx in the mid-90s. I used to ride the 6 train to work from a station not too far away from Castle Hill Avene where she used to live. She was big in dance studios back then, always practicing, relentless at what she wanted in life. I wanted to be a dancer too, but let’s face it, my experience only came from Salsa and Bachata at half the Latin clubs in NYC with my fake ID. Who was I kidding?

I listened to “This is Me Now,” the single on her newest album in 10 years tonight, and I realized how much we actually have in common. My quest for love drove me most of my life. I ignored every red flag, throwing myself into failed relationship after failed relationship, because like JLO said, “they asked me what I wanted to be, and a woman in love is what I wanted to grow up to be.” I wanted love SO badly, absolutely every waking moment, that I pushed my dreams aside, my career aside, even my health aside for this quest of blissful matrimony I always wanted.

So, what’s the phase that I want to let go of? The “Love” phase of my life as I call it. It’s the time period between 2005-2019 – 15 years of unrelented searching, because honestly, those were such dark years. I looked up a past blog, and the things I wrote about were so heartbreaking, that I couldn’t imagine why or how I did that to myself. During this “Love” phase, I hurt so bad, I gave myself to men, I had no respect for myself, and when I FINALLY found someone to love me completely, he led me down a road of sex, drugs, addiction, and incarceration and crime. So much for happily ever after, with my loving husband.

Today, I realize that “Love” is just a state of mind. If you have it, more power to you, I’m happy for you. For me, it was an obsession. I used to agonize that I was too fat and ugly to ever find someone to love me, not only am I much FATTER now, but my husband loved me no matter what size I was, which is the way it should be.

Today, I have entered a new phase of life. I have put jail and rehab behind me, I even sent my husband back to New York to stay with his family, while I start a new life in another state. And I find it serendipitous that the daily prompt tonight is this topic, because tonight when I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw the ad for JLO’s upcoming concert in the summer. I was hesitant at first, I mean years ago I would have jumped on this opportunity, but like I mentioned, being in the city and going to a big concert like that alone might not be the best idea, but I think I owe to myself to close that era of my life by supporting the woman who I loved watching evolve over the years. Through her movies and music, I always saw JLO as a dreamer of love, much like myself. So, I am going to the city and renting a hotel room and spending a night celebrating myself. (I will be sure to check in with friends and family throughout the night, so don’t worry).

I am turning 44 this year, and for the first time in my life, I am completely independent with my own home, car, career, friends and family after spending 20 years stuck in a loop in hospitals of the mental health system, and incarceration for 10 months thereafter. From a life spiraling downward for so many years, to bouncing back and making a success out of it – I realize that the “Love” I had been pining for so long, was all I needed to give to myself and no one else.

So, at three years sober, I will say “Cheers” (with a mocktail), and here’s to clean living and a bright future, and that difficult phase of life that I had to say goodbye to. I earned my stripes with it, and I needed to go through it to be where I am today. So, with that let me say thank you as well.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
View all responses
inspiredodyssey Life

When Life Shows You That You’re on the Right Track

So many times, we find so much to complain about. But thankfulness and being humble can lead to such a good life, if we just let things be. There is so much stimulation from so many devices and things even people, that we forget what it’s like to be still.

I have watched my life go up and down for the past three years like crazy. I watched myself brought to my knees at the floor of a jail cell, begging God for forgiveness and to help me through it. My mental health has been so fragile the past 20 years, I never knew when a switch would go off landing me in a manic episode and ultimately in a lot of trouble. That’s how I landed in jail in the first place. Not taking care of myself has always been my downfall, not because I didn’t want to, but I just wasn’t able to because I thought I knew everything.

That’s where humility comes in.

I am almost three years sober today, and I am still in disbelief of how much I have accomplished. My CPAP machine is a miracle, giving me the much-needed sleep I need to balance my mental health. The alcohol is completely gone from my life as well as the urges to drink out of the boredom I used to experience. My faith has never been stronger, and I am learning to let life show me the way and give up the control I was always so desperate to hold onto.

People say having gratitude lists and affirmations help you reprogram your mind – but I believe simple prayer helps that more. I am not religious, but I do have a strong faith. My faith was stronger in jail, but nowadays, even though I don’t rely on God as much as I used to, His presence is still clear and strong. My husband’s charges were dropped, and he will be coming home soon – something I am scared of because his addiction was much stronger than mine. But I believe if I let go and let God, things will turn out okay.

With a bad criminal record, eviction, and horrible credit, I never thought I would find a place to live. But I let go and took a chance and told my story to a nice landlord that’s willing to rent to me. I have a job in which I wasn’t asked to do a background check. I am beyond grateful for the blessings because of how the odds are stacked against me.

But my faith is ever strong. Life is so hard. I mean look at inflation, so many people are struggling, and I am thankful for having a good income despite being a felon. The world is in shambles, and everybody is just trying to survive. But I am doing more than surviving, I am letting life take the reins and letting go of the expectations and the assumptions that I used to have.

Just let go.

Stay tuned.

inspiredodyssey daily prompt

Cannot Be Undone

Daily writing prompt
List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.
View all responses
  1. Inflation is a real thing and is not going away.
  2. I am probably going to end up being some kind of convict, and it will be on my record for the next 7 years.
  3. I am definitely not going back to New York.
  4. CDs and DVDs will be in museums.
  5. Coupons need to make a comeback cause DAYUM.
  6. SpaceX is going to launch people to the Moon and Mars and it will end up like that Titanic Tour Disaster.
  7. I will get a job I love by the end of the year.
  8. My husband and I WILL be reunited again.
  9. My phone is going to making decisions for me, (thanks Google and ChatGPT).
  10. Death and Taxes, (oldie but goodie).
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

The Future – Once Laughable to Me, Now Bright and Unlimited

I have no doubt in my mind that I never envisioned a future. I spent nearly two decades from the computer screen of my room, void of friendships and romantic relationships. My relationships mostly consisted of online relationships because I had not gotten over my ex a decade prior. I was holding onto a torch I was refusing to let go of, tormenting my present with ghosts of my past. So, you see, a future was never an option for me because my present daily life was so miserable.

Fast forward twenty years later, I am in my 40s having wasted my youth on broken promises and things “I would get to” but never did. These days I see so many exciting things in my future, because I had pushed myself so far outside of my comfort zone the past two years, that the way I was previously living all those years ago is no longer an option.

I feel excited for the future because I see myself so far outside of the “norm” now. I can’t get into any series on TV, I don’t play video games, and I am no longer glued to a computer screen like I used to be. Where the world has gone “digital,” I have surpassed into something else.

One of the most amazing things I’ve experienced is my connection with God on my long drives. As the music plays and the horizon comes into existence, I feel a remarkable peace and calm that I had never experienced before, and I am so overjoyed to explore that more in my future. I am excited for the career I am building myself into as well as the new home I want to make for me and my husband. Never had I felt a future beyond the “box” I had created for myself all those years ago. It was always, “until I am skinny then I am going to do X, Y, and Z.” Well, I never got skinnier, I just got fatter, but my outlook has completely changed. Jail changed me, rehab changed me, and even though those were the most challenging times in my life, I had never felt more comraderies and connection with the human race than I did my whole life. Even in high school, I was never this close to other women or people in general.

So, in all, what I am most excited about the future? More personal relationships and more interactions with people. Honestly, I have always wanted to be closer to God in so many ways, and I think it’s through people I’ll achieve that.

Here’s to the next chapter!

Stay tuned.

inspiredodyssey Life

Who I am Now as Opposed to Who I was Then….

I recently came across an old blog from years ago and found myself looking into a backwards crystal ball – me wishing for so much in the future that has come to fruition, but not exactly what I was looking for. That’s God’s little sense of humor, isn’t it? The cornerstone of my wishes of my one and only heart’s desire was to find love, which had been my goal for close to a decade. Not only do I have that great love in my life today, but we are separated by the justice system. What I thought my life would look like, looks nothing like that mirror from the past that I was looking through into my future.

But the person, that hasn’t changed. I still feel the same insecurities, but I am more open to new experiences instead of being shut in as a recluse not leaving my home. Even though friends from the past have long moved on, those relationships don’t feel as pertinent as the once were.

This quest for love had consumed my whole life – since the days of when I was a teenager. I am having dreams of meeting my husband 20 years ago, as opposed to 3 years ago, because I feel like my life would have been much different if we met back then. I know I can’t go back and change the past, I can only work on my future, but I can’t help but feeling like my life is over with this court case.

Any future that I may have seen looks so much different – with horrible charges and an impending doom of a conviction, also with no hope of ever seeing my husband outside of an institution this year. But through the Grace of God, I am making it through. I have a job, I have a nice car, I live in a fairly nice house, I am over 2 years sober with no cravings for alcohol or drugs, my parents are still alive and extremely supportive, and I have friends today that I thought I would never have. My life has riches today that used to be completely bereft of any kind of love and companionship in past years. There is some truth to repeating a gratitude list in your head when you are feeling negative. People don’t have the worries I do, but I don’t have the worries other people do either. Maybe your life isn’t perfect, but at least you’re not facing a conviction. Maybe someone isn’t facing a conviction like me, but they don’t have their family like I do. Is that God’s way of balancing things out? I might be jealous of Jennifer Lopez in every way, but it took her till she was in her 50s to find the love of her life after four divorces. Sometimes, that’s just the way the hand is dealt. I have to keep my focus on the positive before I get stuck in another loop of desolation and self-pity that consumed my 20s and 30s.

The funniest thing is I always thought I was “fat and ugly” back then that’s why no one would love me. Well, I am about 40 pounds heavier now, and can look at myself in the mirror and take pictures and think I am beautiful today. My husband calls me gorgeous even though sometimes I can’t see it, and I find myself dressing up and taking care of myself a lot more than I ever have. Those little victories I am holding onto – maybe this conviction will hold me back, but I don’t think I should stop living life because of it.

After all, there is a lot of me I am proud of today, as opposed to how I was years ago.

Progress not perfection indeed.

Stay Tuned.

inspiredodyssey daily prompt

The Spiritual Conundrum

How important is spirituality to you in your life?

Not as important as it used to be, and I think it’s because of mind numbing medication. There used to be a sort of childlike love and wonder about how I viewed God and the universe, and now it just falls flat. In a world where there is a prescription for everything, it makes it hard for people to actually feel “spiritual.” I feel like this kind of matter-of-factly way of existing these days, devoid of any sort of pleasure or “spirit.”

Although this may sound like the rantings of a jaded person, it isn’t, I just feel empty. Being in recovery has taught me a different version of God, or now, “higher power,” but I honestly think I have been faking it the whole time and I am seconds away from a drink or drug as soon as all this court stuff lets up. Where I don’t really feel like picking up, I kind of need something to do. Other people have real problems in the world, and I am just taking God’s gifts and blessings for granted like some ungrateful child. I don’t feel the need to help anyone, I don’t want to participate in anything, I just want my husband back – being without him is the center of my sorrow.

The sorrow is a lot stronger than the spirituality is for me because it engulfs my very soul. Being spiritual used to be the center of my universe where I would feel the actual Holy Spirit move through my body giving me a great sense of purpose. But jails and institutions have shown me different – the evil that people do to ruin other’s lives is overwhelming, and I feel like my life is over no matter how hard I try and change it. I feel hopeless. There is no spirit, God tries to reach me, but his voice is so faint among all the sadness.

This is my spiritual conundrum.

Stay Tuned.