Detecting patterns is pretty much what I meant when I talked about hovering above it in the Sammi traffic-copter. It means you are at a slight ‘remove’ from his behavior and can see it all too clearly for what it is. I think this is a major step to having it affect you less.

You already have good insights into his bad behavior. It sounds like his life is pretty ‘small’ to have all that energy to devote to tearing down others. I see ‘no one standing up for you’ as more like ‘no one can deal with him’ when he does this kind of stuff.

Sooner than you think he will just be a ‘pebble in your shoe’ (a phrase a friend once said to me that I like), and will have no real effect on you whatsoever except as a minor annoyance.

I think the Charter school will take on a momentum of its own and change things up for you. Like anything it will be what you make of it, but having this outside energy and focus in your life will also give you some added distance from the current situation. The more distance you get on it, the more perspective. You are already gaining on it.

I can already see a slight shift in the energy between you and your mother (might seem tiny to you, but the beginnings are there). Believe in tiny miracles.

Yes, the drag queens will be there next year. I can almost guarantee it.

Sammi, I really think you are doing all the right things. You reached out in a really healthy way. You have good intuition and are very perceptive and I think these are going to get you to a place you want to be.

I really like that painting – theme and composition. It’s very engaging.

Give yourself permission to be proud of ALL of the above. I really mean that.

-Mitchell