How close can you get?

I don’t know.

Where is the line?

Does it show?

How do you define

What’s okay and what’s not?

And what if we disagree

On the exact spot?

What’s okay for you,

May not be for me.

And what’s okay for me

Is often hard to see.

So how can I tell

What is yes or no?

How can I tell

When it’s too far to go.

How will I say no,

If you cross that line?

And what if I don’t say it

At the right time?

It’s hard to say no

When I feel that knot inside.

So I may just smile

And go along for the ride.

Later, inside,

The pain will grow,

But I’ll probably be too afraid

To let you know.

So, to keep things from going

Way too far,

Help me from the start

To know who you are.

The better I know

The differences between you and me

The easier it will be

For me to see.

Then the line that I draw

Can be made clear.

And I can be around you

Without having to fear.

JKC, 2002

This is “from the vault”. Meaning I had a long day and I’m getting sick. My brain is dialled down…I’m just too tired and can’t put together a coherent thought. So, I opened up one of my old journals and found a random poem that I wrote. This one is from December 15, 2002, according to my journal. That was the year my middle (now 12 years old) daughter was born. I can’t stop coughing and need to lie down. Hope this isn’t too out of context (the old poem I mean) from my current state. One thing remains true, I have a hard time setting boundaries. I have gotten a bit better, but still tend to hide feelings, smile like it’s okay, to make others more comfortable, or maybe to avoid conflict…perhaps both!!  Anyway, I need sleep.  Night all…💤💤💤

To help with research and treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia please go to http://www.tnnme.com (Trigeminal Neuralgia and Me) to sign a petition to have the World Health Organization (WHO) add Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) to their “Health Topic List”!