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Can't Go Out Sad
[ DISCLAIMER ] Takeoff and REBT The first time I heard the song “ Can’t Go Out Sad ” by best-selling rap trio , Migos , I mistook the...

Deric Hollings
Jul 2, 202311 min read


On Sheepdogs
[DISCLAIMER] **Nothing contained herein constitutes advice** Not everything with fangs is harmful From 1996 to 2007, I served in the...

Deric Hollings
Jun 30, 202310 min read


Forgibs
[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use Growing up, the term “dibs” related to the claim of an implied right to have or acquire something...

Deric Hollings
Jun 30, 20236 min read


Ready for the Holler
[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use From time to time, my late stepmom used a saying she apparently learned from her dad. She’d say,...

Deric Hollings
Jun 29, 20233 min read


Peace Treaty
[DISCLAIMER] Gang truce In high school, I hung around a group of knuckleheads who were validated gang members. Due to the Racketeer...

Deric Hollings
Jun 28, 202314 min read


Ctrl+Alt+Del
[DISCLAIMER] Terminating a process During the summer between my fifth and sixth grade years, my dad sent me to summer school to fill my...

Deric Hollings
Jun 26, 202313 min read


Eternity
[DISCLAIMER] I’m comfortable admitting that I don’t know everything. In fact, I don’t know a lot about most things. Even those matters...

Deric Hollings
Jun 25, 20236 min read


Kafka Trap
DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use Kafka trap Imagine that you and I are engaged in conversation. At some point, I accuse you of an “ist”...

Deric Hollings
Jun 24, 20239 min read


Six Feet Deep
[DISCLAIMER] “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” – 1 Corinthians 15:55 When I graduated high school in 1995, I...

Deric Hollings
Jun 24, 20235 min read


Imposter Syndrome
[DISCLAIMER] As a young Marine corporal attached to the Marine Security Guard (MSG) detachment (det) in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, I was...

Deric Hollings
Jun 23, 20236 min read


Shoulding on Art
[ DISCLAIMER ] Take a look at the above-featured drawing. What do you see? What do you think when looking at it? How do you feel when...

Deric Hollings
Jun 22, 20235 min read


What Shame?
[DISCLAIMER] In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), shame attacking exercises are used to inoculate a client from embarrassment...

Deric Hollings
Jun 21, 20235 min read


Peering Behind the Proverbial Curtain of Mental Health
[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use **Wizard of Oz spoilers contained herein** The Wizard of Oz As a child, I enjoyed watching the 1939...

Deric Hollings
Jun 20, 20237 min read


Existence
[DISCLAIMER] Existence is defined as the fact or state of living or having objective reality, especially independently of human...

Deric Hollings
Jun 19, 20233 min read


Juneteenth
[DISCLAIMER] Juneteenth I don’t know how reliable my memory is after the passing of just over four and a half decades and repeated head...

Deric Hollings
Jun 18, 20239 min read


Touching Grass in the Texas Panhandle
[DISCLAIMER] Written on June 11, 2023 Posted on June 12, 2023 When my close friend, “Jammies,” invited me to Bomb City (Amarillo, Texas)...

Deric Hollings
Jun 12, 20235 min read


Touching Grass in the Sky
[DISCLAIMER] Written on June 7, 2023 Posted on June 12, 2023 I recall my first flight ever. I was in fifth grade, flying alone from...

Deric Hollings
Jun 12, 20238 min read


Sunk-Cost Fallacy
[DISCLAIMER] Beliefs and their impact Have you ever been excited to do something that ultimately wasn’t helpful or healthy for you? If...

Deric Hollings
Jun 6, 20237 min read


Stop Lyin'
[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use Common knowledge of lies One of my favorite songs from rapper Kevin Gates is “Stop Lyin’,” from his...

Deric Hollings
Jun 5, 202311 min read


Representation in Therapy
[DISCLAIMER] Military and veteran representation When undergoing graduate studies for social work, I was assigned to an internship...

Deric Hollings
Jun 3, 20237 min read
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