(posts are still queued) Your home for kindness in truth and help for all (mostly general earthling welfare including ehlers-danlos syndrome), or at least trying my best to, and hope to inspire too! Here for everyone too.
And to realise and start healing and learn & grow from it and do&be better by using their hearts and brains. Be part of the solution not the problem. Be kind to all kind.
As I’m sure everyone’s heard of Danny Masterson being found guilty, I just want to point out that Masterson has a high status in the Scientology cult, which could help explain why it took so long for allegations to come out. And not only that but comes from a family of Scientologists and he was raised in Scientology and he and his siblings (including Chris who was the oldest brother in Malcolm in the Middle), and like other celebrities that are in Scientology, is at the highest level of their subculture and I guess cult too. He is someone who receives very preferential and special treatment, or he has historically, and Scientology has made every effort to help him and protect him, as they see him as a very valued member, someone that potentially could recruit others. Even in prison.
And also, it being a cult, and being born and raised into it and everything, they had no chance of having a good life being a good person. But he still had opportunities to and didn’t, so let’s remember that.
So him getting charged is barely the tip of the iceberg. Which needs to be melted.
This lovely NYC neighborhood was modeled after an English village back when it was first built in 1910, offering a little piece of the UK in Queens, with quaint Tudor-style houses and a town center with a train station. Read more about it here.
If you didn’t know about The Cloisters before, you might not ever believe that a medieval castle was in the middle of New York City. But it is! The Cloisters is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art that is devoted to European art history. It was designed and constructed taking elements from many different medieval cloisters, which are covered pathways in a church or monastery that connect to form an open square in the center. Find out more here.
Italy or the Bronx? The beautiful “Villa Charlotte Bronte” apartments look straight out of Europe. They were built in 1926 and sit along the Palisades, overlooking the Hudson River, in the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood of The Bronx. The design was actually based on an Italian villa, which definitely makes sense, and includes balconies as well as lush gardens!
Where: 2501 Palisade Ave, The Bronx
Fort Tryon Park, Inwood
These massive stone arches looks straight out of another era…and that’s because they are! Built between 1901 and 1905, the “Billings Arcade” is some of the last remains of the Tryon Hall mansion, built by wealthy Chicago industrialist Cornelius K. G. Billings. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased the $2 million estate in 1917, only for it to burn down a few years later. Read more about the history from the Fort Tryon Park Trust.
Makes sense that #2 on our list is right next door!
Where: Riverside Dr. To Broadway (arches are near down toward the Billings Lawn, this website has good detailed directions)
Hours: Open daily, 6 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Greenacre Park, Midtown
This hidden little park in Midtown East is only 1/7 of an acre, but it definitely packs a punch. It holds a 25-foot waterfall that is not only a sight for sore eyes in the middle of Manhattan, and will also distract from the noise of the busy streets. It was built in 1971 by the Greenacre Foundation from a design by Hideo Sasaki.
Where: 217 E 51st St.
Hours: Open daily, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. *Reopens for the season Monday, April 3*
The Andrew Carnegie Mansion is a historical spot now home to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. The mansion was originally completed in 1902 and reached landmark status in 1974, though it has undergone much change over the years. The grounds of the mansion, and now museum, feature an expansive garden and cafe for visitors to enjoy as well as a little opulent oasis in the middle of Manhattan.
Where: 2 E. 91st Street
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Morgan Library, Murray Hill
The Morgan Library feels like a trip to a library from Harry Potter or old world Europe. The historical venue was built as a private library between 1902 and 1906 for financier Pierpont Morgan. He began collecting manuscripts and other historical materials as early as 1890, and now they line the walls of the museum. You can find some of the country’s rarest music manuscripts, early children’s books, Americana, early printed books and more there. Purchase tickets here.
NYC’s own “Little Paris” is the work of one group of French business owners determined to showcase NYC’s own enclave of French culture on Centre Street in Nolita/SoHo (between Broome & Grand St.). Along Centre St. you can find French café and bakery Maman, wine bar La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, and art and home decor shop Clic. To complete the Parisian vibe is the old police headquarters located across the street from Coucou French Classes, whose architecture was inspired by Paris’s famous Hotel de Ville (City Hall) with its Beaux Arts style. Read more about it here.
Where: Centre Street between Broome & Grand St.https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7107213381651795246
Van Cortlandt House, The Bronx
The Van Cortlandt House is the oldest surviving building in The Bronx, and was built by Frederick Van Cortlandt (1699 – 1749) in 1748. The Van Cortlandts were a prominent merchant family who owned a plantation on the property. Generations of the family lived there for 140 years, and in 1887 it was sold to the City of New York and made into public park land (Van Cortlandt Park itself it also the third largest park in NYC and has lots of unique hiking trails and vantage points!). Before it was a museum it had many random, unique uses like a temporary police precinct and a living space for ranch hands that cared for a herd of buffalo on the property.
Stone Street is one of the rare cobblestone streets in NYC, that gives more of an old school European feel to the starkly modern city buildings around it. According to Untapped Cities, the street was one of the first to be paved with cobblestones (in 1658) in the Nieuw Amsterdam colony, which is where it got its name. Today, no cars are allowed through and in the warm weather because of outdoor seating, it’s one of the few NYC locations where drinking is actually allowed in the streets.
Where: From Whitehall St. to Broad St., between Marketfield St. and Bridge St.
Tucked all the way at the end of 42nd Street (between 2nd Ave. and the United Nations Plaza), the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice is a true hidden treasure of New York City. With sunlight streaming in on multiple sides, the 160-foot tall atrium holds 39 species of plants. There is also a reflecting pool, and a sensory garden with plant life you are encouraged to touch and smell. Read more here.
If you’re looking to be surrounded by nature instead of the concrete jungle, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is the place for you. On over 9,155 serene acres you can hike, go bird-watching, explore turtle nesting and admire the wide variety of wildflowers, moths and butterflies.
Where: Cross Bay Blvd near Broad Channel, Queens
Hours: Open daily, 6a.m. – 9p.m.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Heights
This lush oasis in the heart of Brooklyn will make you feel like you’ve been completely transported to another city. During the cherry blossom bloom in the spring, it will surely feel like a trip to Japan, but year-round it provides a natural haven for New Yorkers with varying blooms all over its very walkable grounds. Purchase tickets on their website here.
I had something like this as a child for when I would see my counsellor/therapist because I was even more incapable of describing how I feel and haven’t found one on here so decided to post some I’ve found, reblog and keep this going! Hopefully it can help more of us! (:
1. You’ve been in a similar headspace before. And you’ve gotten through it. It might not have been easy, but you made it until today. And that was the old you, who wasn’t armed with as much wisdom and experience as you are currently. Even though you might feel like the world is weighing down on you, you can get through this just like you’ve gotten through everything else in your past.
2. It’s okay if you’re not doing okay. Strength doesn’t mean pretending you’re fine when you’re not. Strength doesn’t mean juggling twenty different things at once because you’re terrified of disappointing anyone. Real strength requires honesty with yourself. It’s okay to admit when you’re struggling. You’re not superhuman. You’re going to struggle here and there — and you don’t have to hide that from the world.
3. You can’t conquer all your problems at once. You need to take things one step at a time, one day at a time, one minute at a time. Even though you might be worried sick about all the things you need to get done by the end of the week, you can’t do everything at once. Break your tasks into manageable pieces. Figure out a plan. And then work on whatever you can right now without worrying about all the things you’re not working on. Be proud of yourself for every little bit you accomplish.
4. You’re not the only one feeling this way. Even though you might feel like you’re on an island alone, you’re not the only one going through these emotions. Plenty of people are struggling, even people you know, even people who appear perfectly fine on the outside. Never feel like there’s something wrong with you, or like everyone else is able to cope with situations better than you are. You’re not the only one experiencing this type of pain.
5. You’re allowed to take a mental health break. You’re allowed to relax when you’re feeling overwhelmed by the world. You’re allowed to take a few hours, days, or even weeks away from your responsibilities. If you feel yourself burning out, you need to do something about it. Working yourself too hard is going to lead to more trouble down the road. You don’t want to exhaust yourself. You need to treat yourself with kindness.
6. The only person you need to please is yourself. It’s not selfish to do what’s best for yourself. If you’re always running around, trying to please other people, you won’t have any time left for yourself. Even though you want to make your family and friends proud, they aren’t in charge of the course of your life. You get to decide what path to take — and you should choose the one that makes you happiest.
7. Crying might be exactly what you need. Don’t stuff down your emotions because you feel like you’re overreacting. If you feel like crying, then let yourself cry. Release those emotions before they tear you apart. There’s nothing wrong with shedding some tears. There’s nothing wrong with being an emotionally available human.
(Post on thought catalog by holly riordan)
And a personal bonus:
8. I like you and am here for you and believe in you and so do a lot of people even if you don’t know/believe it and it will all be ok eventually as it was before and you’ll be at least fine (:
i hope you did at least one thing for yourself today. whether that’s brushing your teeth, drinking a nice cup of tea, taking a break to listen to your favorite song or reading your favorite poem. it doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful. it is so important to stay close to what brings you joy and purpose in life. ❤️
“When a slave died their soul went back to Africa because that was where we belonged. When the soul reached Africa it was greeted by the ancestors in the spirit realm. And once the soul was greeted, it waited for other souls of departed slaves so too, could be welcomed home. Every soul did this duty until it was reborn purer, again and again, because life is a stream that flows and flows endlessly into many bodies. In this way a deceased mother could return as your child, a lost slave could redeem a brutalised life; but first, the soul had to be returned to Africa. It was to be washed there, it had to touch paradise, home, heaven. And Africa was heaven.”
- Miss Alisa Miller (then Van Zijl)
(from Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe) (one of my favourite books despite the terrible happenings)
