Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I missed posting on Sunday in large part because it was a day of the unexpected; we were planning on one niece and a nephew as dinner guests and ended up with five (two nieces and three nephews). Which was lovely, actually–we split the pieces of grilled chicken and had an impromptu family party, ending with angel food cake, strawberries, whipped cream, and ice cream. A good day!–just unexpected.

Moving on to last night–or rather, very early this morning–I finished Rosena Fung’s Living with Viola, in which Olivia (or Livy) is accompanied by the intangible but visible-to-her embodiment of her anxiety, whom she calls Viola. Viola is the worst kind of company–always ready to belittle, discourage, or criticize–but it’s hard for Livy to push her away, and her voice seems to be getting stronger and stronger. What happens to us when that inner bully is starting to become all we can hear? What happens when we’re overwhelmed by feelings that don’t always make sense, feelings that make it hard to do what we need to do? Using her own experiences as inspiration, Fung shows us one girl who starts to drown in her own anxiety–until she finds the strength to do what all of us need to do when we hit that point.

Talk to someone.

Olivia’s journey tugs at me, given that I have more than one child who struggles with anxiety. I’m hoping they find her story both meaningful and helpful.

I’m also hoping Rosena Fung writes more graphic novels.