avatarSarah Callen

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line.</b></p><p id="4fdd"><i>One I had moved tirelessly over our eight-year marriage.</i></p><p id="bc47">A year later, I pack up my three- and one-year-old little boys and head to my sister’s. I announce I am done to my townhouse buddies and say goodbye. I have no intention of returning.</p><p id="ded9"><b>I don’t have a plan but I also don’t have a fear.</b></p><p id="564e"><i>My mom raised her children alone, so can I.</i></p><p id="a913">A delivery man knocks on the door. As he hands me the flowers, I say, “If those are from my husband, he would need to buy the entire store for me to come back.”</p><p id="f935"><b>After three weeks, he wears me down.</b> He convinces me he is not only willing to go to marriage counseling, but he will also find one. I am resistant, but I cave. I’m not sure why.</p><p id="651d"><i>I am still young and possess the moxie my independent mother filled me with, unaware I will one day lose it.</i></p><p id="914d"><b>No one is going to mistreat me.</b></p><p id="67b5">And I have now identified the cycle.</p><p id="39b8"><b>The reason my loveable charmer turns evil twice a year.</b></p><p id="c0e7"><i>The switch flips around my needs.</i></p><p id="acdc"><b>Day to day, I ask nothing of him. </b>But<b> </b>if I need to be picked up from oral surgery anesthesia, ask for a room to be painted, a holiday to be special, get mad at him for staying out all night playing cards, or question him about anything.</p><p id="2497">All hell breaks loose.</p><p id="5e67"><b>The beauty bursts, the beast emerges.</b></p><p id="b2e3">Exactly the result when my doctor challenged him. She told him what to do. This is something you never do with a narcissist. Because no one tells them what to do.</p><p id="e081">They decide the outcome of their world.</p><p id="354c">Or you unleash their anger.</p><p id="7d9c"><b>And expose the cruel beast.</b></p><p id="59a6"><i>The narcissistic hunger won’t fade until fed.</i></p><p id="266b">My husband put me in my place because my doctor made him mad. Someone has to pay for making a narcissist do what they don’t want to do. They will exact punishing revenge to regain their control.</p><p id="3c94">They will get their way even if another tells them they can’t. He wanted to work, not cancel his appointment. So he showed me he could.</p><p id="d532"><i>We go to marriage counseling.</i></p><p id="8035"><b>It’s a bandaid.</b></p><p id="adbd">It takes a highly specialized counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist to identify and diagnose Narcissistic personality disorder. That professional won’t enter our lives until years later.</p><p id="a180">But for the next six years, I feel as if I have my best friend back.</p><p id="4136"><b>It’s cycle-free.</b></p><p id="841f">Knowing what I now know, even I find this impossible to believe. I’m not exactly

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sure why. Either it was —<i> ‘narcissistic in it to win it,’ </i>mode or he wanted to retain a version of his world. The man with a successful career and a beautiful family.</p><p id="fbd3"><b>It was the first time I left.</b></p><p id="8419">But it wouldn’t be the last.</p><p id="3904">*HOW did your narcissist lack empathy? I’d love to hear your examples. I give further examples of mine in the following two articles.</p><div id="da96" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/3-words-i-repeatedly-said-to-a-narcissist-db968d1667bc"> <div> <div> <h2>3 Words I Repeatedly Said to a Narcissist</h2> <div><h3>A clue something was terribly wrong</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*F0iaOVPH3SkzSm-mU7LaHA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="c040" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-true-narcissist-lacks-empathy-ff7d6338843b"> <div> <div> <h2>A True Narcissist Lacks Empathy</h2> <div><h3>Unfortunately, I can tell you what that looks like</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*1MCOVBZOxxS6h5cbgOarLQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="fbb6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/about-me-colleen-sheehy-orme-9b12658f5b9"> <div> <div> <h2>About Me — Colleen Sheehy Orme</h2> <div><h3>I have always been motivated by love</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*IZgS20QSDDgtFnXeCqBuFA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="f7a7" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-7-super-early-relationship-mistakes-i-made-ea5c833bc7be"> <div> <div> <h2>The 7 Super Early Relationship Mistakes I Made</h2> <div><h3>I gave away my power and became vulnerable</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*iLhKaJ2OvJrj114TsNKjtQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

February 2024 Recap

Detectives, triads, globe-trotting mysteries, and more!

Photo by Stephen Monterroso on Unsplash

February was a fun month on TV & Us! We explored a ton of fun new shows, including the latest season of True Detective. Some of these shows are incredibly creative and were a joy to watch. Let’s get into it!

‘The Brothers Sun’ is Fun

I had so much fun with The Brothers Sun. This show is filled with great action scenes but also has a ton of heart. Each of the main characters in the show goes on quite an emotional journey that is satisfying to witness.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Michelle Yeoh delivers a fantastic performance (as always). I cannot recommend this show enough!

‘Fool Me Once’ is Fine

I wanted to like this show, but it really starts to fumble along the way. There are so many red herrings all throughout that actually end up detracting from the themes that the show is trying to focus on. What starts out as a fairly interesting premise quickly devolves into a dramatic show that’s kind of a slog to get through.

It’s a shame that this mystery doesn’t end up packing the punch that it could have.

‘Mrs. Davis’ is a Creative Whirlwind

I love it when you find a show that’s incredibly creative and sets itself apart from what we’re used to. That’s what Mrs. Davis is. This is one of the more bonkers shows that I’ve watched in a while. The story is wild and creative, and I really enjoyed watching it.

While not everything worked for me, the creativity made me want to keep coming back to it. If you haven’t yet watched Mrs. Davis, I recommend checking it out.

‘Fargo’ Season One Excites

Fargo recently finished its fifth season and received a great deal of praise for it. This buzz piqued my interest, so I finally dove into the show. And the first season is an absolute blast.

This season is hilarious, smart, and highly entertaining. Characters in this season go through immense changes that are fascinating to watch. I’m officially hooked and can’t wait to watch the other seasons!

True Detective: Night Country

Some friends talked me into watching this season of True Detective, and we also decided to record a podcast about it! You can listen to our reviews of all six episodes wherever you get your podcasts!

You can also read all of my thoughts here.

And there you have it! Those are all of the stories that we published in February. In March, we’re going to be exploring cartels, mysteries, famous feuds, and more!

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