19 Comments
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Jennifer Ward Dudley's avatar

I’ve been picking my bootstraps up for 74 years. I’m f##ing tired but tie them tighter daily. There will be light .

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Sarelle McCoard's avatar

Heartbreaking, theses lives around us. These people are telling their story and the way you weave them together is beautiful. I am seeing all the ways lists can be worked into essay form from the “Habit” page examples and links.

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Elizabeth Marro's avatar

Reading this, I'm thinking of all the lives that are never captured in words. Beautiful,in 2020 and now.

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Jacqueline Dooley's avatar

All of this, Paul. Thank you.

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GINNY ROWAN's avatar

Wow that must’ve been a lot to process and understand. More energy than you even knew you needed or had.

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STEVE MADISON's avatar

Life is tragedy and loss. Nothing will ever change this, yet humanity endures and often rises above circumstance. For me, this is where faith in Jesus Christ comes into play. My “bootstraps” start with the first sentence of the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Amen!

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Untrickled by Michelle Teheux's avatar

I wrote a book, “Strapped,” that points out the term “bootstrapping” used to mean “impossible task.” If you want an electronic copy, hit me up and I’ll send it to you via Bookfunnel.

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Paul Crenshaw's avatar

Yes! It is literally, physically impossible to do. I’d love to look at it

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Untrickled by Michelle Teheux's avatar

Send me your email and I’ll shoot you a “review” copy.

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Day One's avatar

We are all in this together, and seeing it any other way is missing something. Thank you for putting it into words for us.

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Susie's avatar

Immediately made me think of that asswipe McConnell saying “they’ll get over it.” So checked out. So clueless. So friggin entitled. THIS is the truth - what you write here. When did we lose the humanity? The compassion? Feels like a stupid question. 💔🇺🇸

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Margaret Donovan Bauer's avatar

I want to like like like like like this comment.

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Susie's avatar

Aw. Thanks. It felt good to write!

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B.K. (Kate) Jackson's avatar

And sometimes people don’t have any bootstraps.

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Margaret Donovan Bauer's avatar

DAMN. THIS ONE HURTS.

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Laury Boone Browning's avatar

Thank you for this. I have to remind myself not to look away. I remember having a conversation with a student when I was teaching Middle School. He was distracted, volatile. I remember going to speak privately with him for a little bit to find out what was going on. He lived with his dad who had just been arrested, and I was sitting there forcing him to write and expository essay. He cried talking to me. All I can think of is that we have to find the energy and intuition to create safe spaces for kids who live in a crazy world that doesn't take care of them, or show them how to function as adults.

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Ally Hamilton's avatar

Same folks who have no compassion when a mother is detained after her legal immigration appointment and separated from her kids because she should have “done it the right way” even though she was. This one hurt in all the right ways and I only wish the people who have hardened would

read it - and soften. Alas.

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Toni Jeffrey's avatar

So poignant to be reminded that we have no idea of what our brothers and sisters are going through. I am reminded of a quote by someone smarter than me: "Be nice to people. You may be the only one who smiles at them all day."

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Jodi Sh. Doff's avatar

Thank you. Just thank you.

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