READING YOU A STORY (Sleep-aid, SFW, ASMR)

This could be really interesting as a short film

Ariel

I remember seeing that video the last time you shared it. His smug face is still as infuriating to see as the first time. That speech was brilliant and I’m glad that this became the big moment that it did, but I wonder, did it bring about any change, even if it’s a small, incremental one? Because it felt significant, it must have at least started a conversation that people didn’t have so openly before. (By the way, I remember seeing a comment on an another video of that speech along the lines of “It makes me feel proud to be an Australian woman even though I’m a German man” 😂)

This week was the 11 year anniversary of this amazing moment so I'm sharing it again for anyone who's not familiar with the famous sexism and misogyny speech https://youtu.be/ihd7ofrwQX0?si=LWVeSxjy1dqRT_G4 Edit: i LOVE the updated logo!

Kateastrophy

I recommend listening on 🍄^^ A friend tells me it’s lit… Me: I’m the friend 😱🫣🤭

Kumi Wolff

Wow. Matthew. This was beautifully written and you are such a gifted storyteller. I wish I had the right words to describe the unexpected emotions that surfaced the first time I tried to listen. I had to stop and start it over a couple of times to hear it all the way through. This story moved me so deep in my feelings. It brought to mind my relationship with my sisters, (my own car accident, when and how my sisters each responded when they found out and that I survived and how we couldn't talk about it until months later because it was so hard to talk about) as well as the many shared life changing experiences my sisters and I have been through since. It's those shared life experiences that now shape how we say goodbye to each other with "I love you, bird." (Long story, but it's a reference to Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.) And..now I'm back in my feelings writing this. This is getting too long for a comment but like just wow..what a complex and captivating story. Thank you so much for creating and sharing it.

J.lela

that is an interesting thought about siblings! I'm sorry you're surrounded by a family that isn't supportive, that sucks. I feel SO lucky to be close with my younger sister, it's like no one understands family dynamics (good and bad) like siblings do. Friends can be family too though 🤍

Ariel

Almost a day later and still thinking about this. Update, I’ve moved on to thinking about all of the bizarre and insane situations my guardian angel/spirit guide/anything like that has had to save from 😵‍💫 like just the things I’m aware that could have gone wrong or almost went wrong.

Ariel

Ah it seems I may need to retract my earlier statement about Aussie mens teams sucking at sport, because you'll be facing off against us next Wednesday morning in this ⚽ kind of football and while I know we're not the best at it, we're also not the worst! So despite a kiwi winning the Bathurst 1000 (again 😑) last weekend and a kiwi STILL in Daniel Ricciardos seat, maybe, just maybe, you can let us have this one? 😉 (Also next month can we have a puppy or kitten or something cute on the logo to make up for me aggressively smacking my screen every time I open this app? K thx byeeeee 😁)

Kateastrophy

Sleep-aid, ha! I’m awake now you beautiful soul 😘💜😘💜

Shamesha

✨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ https://youtu.be/yvL8ZqtK4x4?si=LCXtq2bIXfqBcxI9 ===================== ♥️ https://youtu.be/FHF_c7ufdAM?si=y_jy1cbqk-AGJ3jk -------------------------------- 📖 https://youtu.be/r6pmIzgUaVE?si=7HhVDBjVF3falZCg _____________________ https://youtu.be/WMeOnwQQmEg?si=LwgwpKHltpFTZdfo \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 🎤 https://youtu.be/m1a_GqJf02M?si=9QFRtTjW7dZzTD6a 💟|💜

Eternidad

😮‍💨...well, this is going to be kind of long what I'm going to say, so, here goes.... First, Matthew, there were certain points that you mentioned in your story that I've sadly experienced, though at the same time, perhaps strangely, felt slightly grateful for. About half a year when my dad passed away, during a night when my mom was working, I was supposed to pick her up at the end of her shift. For some reason on that night, and looking back on it now it was partially due to the insecurity of not having my father around, I felt this desperate feeling on getting my mother on time. I had to drive on the highway and into the city where she was working and I was speeding there. I had the music on the radio high and I remember it being a disco/funk song. I remembered so vividly the incident that happened that when I told a psychoanalyst the accident I caused with another car that I felt as though something took over me and on that moment when I saw the red light on the intersection and deliberately stepping on the gas panel and being on the wrong lane that my own conscious/being left me. I crashed head-on with I believe it was an SUV with passengers (it was an Uber vehicle). I strongly believe down to this day that I was protected from having to have died then. Thankfully, and somewhat amazingly, no one was hurt in the other vehicle, despite having to have crashed to a metal pole (I think it was the traffic light pole). My mother told me that she believed that, subconsciously, I wanted to kill myself because of losing my dad in death, which I denied that, though, maybe there was a tiny shroud of truth to it but no and I had no intention whatsoever to have wanting to kill anyone else on the road either. Ever since, I haven't driven on the streets/highways and still haven't, though I would like to someday. It gave me a different perspective in viewing the value of human life, and life in general, especially when I had cancer. When I was told that I had lymphoma again, I couldn't believe it. I was frightened, not too much physically, but more mentally. Again I remembered, before I was going to be admitted as an in-patient in the hospital's stem cell transplant ward, I was given an advance directive. When I saw that form, I won't forget the feelings I was having. Fright, sadness, even some hopelessness. Death. I was going to write down, so to speak, my own death. I didn't want to accept that. I just didn't want to. I didn't want my life to come to an end. I've never been in a situation when I was in such deep meditation. Eventually, I had to accept it. Really, I had no other choice. So when the time came for me to start the almost week long treatment of having chemotherapy one day after the other and to be in isolation, I prayed to God to be with me. During my isolation, it taught me yet again so many qualities of life such as endurance, patience and understanding to name a few. I was literally trying to stay alive day by day, night by night. There were some experiences that I wished I didn't have, such as when I was given a particular medication, I felt so anxious even kind of panicky that I was having such trouble sleeping that I told a nurse what was happening to me and told me that it was part of the treatment and even weirdly chuckled at my behavior and said something like "that's what happens when you go through this" which psychologically didn't made me felt better and also made me, in a sense, feel like a lunatic. There was also this poster that was hung where the nurses/technicians were (I think it's called their central station) that showed a grotesque drawing of a man who was a transplant patient looking like a demented being, a monster if you will, with sharp nails and teeth and crazy eyes. I wasn't sure if that was put there because during that time it was the end of October or it was placed there to show some sick/dark humor. Every time I looked at that picture, I had different thoughts of it at different days like "I hate that disgusting, debased personification of a medical patient" to "Ha ha ha, well isn't that kind of amusing? I feel like I'm just like that man." Also, whenever I would do my walks around the hall, I would see other patients as to how they looked and behaved and some would encourage me and others not so much, especially when there were certain odors from rooms that made me sick to my stomach, as if I was smelling death itself. Though there was a room called the Tranquility Room that I would say kind of kept me sane and transported me to another mindset. I was grateful for that and the delicious food that I was given. And so, my dearest, I feel as though unfortunately we've been traumatized by both internal and external factors that are partially out of our control and we have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. But we're not alone in carrying these memories, be it good or bad. All forms of suffering will cease to exist and there's a future ahead of us that's going to be beyond better than now. We just have to hold on and take things one day at a time.

Eternidad

Curious to know how people who don't have siblings reacted to this? Because I got 2 that would happily hit me with their car and 1 that would show up only if he wasn't busy, sooo this just made me jealous of people with supportive families 🥲 it's a beautiful story, it just made me hyper-aware that I'm surrounded by shitty people 🙃 But I survived my exam and now I have 3 weeks to actually get some sleep so YAYY 😊

Kateastrophy

oh wow. this was stirring. it certainly inspired a stillness in me, but not really the kind i can doze off to. it reminded me of some touchy things of my own, so listening was ambivalent/sobering more than anything. i loved “surrounded by impressions of myself” — such a visual line and really cool to hear. 💟 also, the 'in between' reminded me of the good place's 'medium place’. both exist as interposed domains, except this one didn't feature mindy st. clare lmao. i'm not sure i know what else to say. i'll be sitting with this one. what a complex listening experience — pretty devastating and devastatingly pretty. 🖤

aleigh -`♡´-

This is hauntingly beautiful and has broken me for the rest of the night. I will not sleep. I’ll lie awake in the darkness thinking about the place between death and death. I love this writing so much that I’m going to have to share it with my Mum and then will have to explain about the naughty audios too. But it will be worth it. No one should sleep through this story! 😭💜

Harriet

Just read me Charles Dickens and I’ll fall asleep in no time with the way he goes on and on 🙃

Meg_just_Meg

💛 Only slightly broke my brain, in the best way? Just beautiful. This is definitely going to stick with me.

Ariel