Z’s Wonderland


Mirror Mirror on the Wall By Z Zoccolante   Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all. If you’ve had an eating disorder you’ve asked yourself a thousand different versions of that question while standing in front of your mirror daily.   What I’ve found that’s common with addiction is that we don’t stand in front of the mirror and tell ourselves how wonderful we are. Instead, we seek out a mirror and berate...

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The Choice of Recovery from Addiction By Z Zoccolante   I’m drawn towards words like a moth to a flame. Little corner bookstores pull at my insides like my bones are made of magnets. Language is music, the notes like chords in the ether, spiraling through my brain like those 80’s streamers kids would play with, long snaking fabric malleable to the slightest movement.   The walls are covered with poetry as my eyes find their...

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When Details Stress You Out By Z Zoccolante   I’ve been thinking about traveling lately, my mind seeking escape from my frantic routines of work and school, and all the nitty, gritty details of life.   I’m not a great detail person. I’m more a big picture thinker. I used to have argument/discussions with my ex because it took me a week to realize the house needed cleaning while he was bothered on day 1, and thought I was...

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You’re Only as Sick as Your Secrets By Z Zoccolante   There’s that saying that a chain can only be as strong as its weakest link. The saying reminds me of the game Red Rover that I played at summer fun when I was a kid.   You’d stand in a line all holding hands and sing, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Jonathan over.” Little kid Jonathan would run at your hand linked people fence and if he was able to break through then he won....

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Skinny is the New Stressed By Z Zoccolante   A while back, one of my friends had a baby. She was nursing, working full time, exhausted constantly, and running around like a chicken with her head cut off. It was one day in her office building when a client of hers incredulously gushed at how skinny she was after having the baby and how her body bounced back so well.   They wouldn’t let the point go and asked how on earth did...

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What Keeps Us Kind When We Want Revenge By Z Zoccolante   Recently, I was listening to an audio story told by Brene Brown. She talked about shame, one of her famous topics, and told a story of a lady who she always leaves feelings slimed. Brene had gone to a prestigious convention and was feeling guilty for not being home for a week with her kids. As she’s waiting at school to pick up her kids, this witch walks up to her car with...

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