compassion Archives - The Moody Mortal

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How to build compassion: chapter one

May 16, 2025 2 Comments

Compassion. Noun: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. A strong desire to alleviate suffering -- compassion is one of the most beautiful of human potentials. It's a skill, a way of living that must be taught, modeled, shaped in a way that will impact the way a person sees the world, every single day. As a parent and an empath, I often think about how to do this in a way that will impact my own ... VIEW POST

How to live happily in an unhappy world

March 23, 2024

I've been working on a post about putting together Easter baskets. It should be an easy, fun write up. But for some reason, I'm struggling. Maybe it's the heaviness I feel in the air - like the atmosphere is weighted down by an unseen force and I can't escape it. The air is thick with pain and unbelievable sorrow - and I feel as if I need to face it before I can talk about pastel-colored eggs and chocolate bunnies. In some way, I suppose I'm navigating how to live happily in an unhappy world. ... VIEW POST

Raise them to love the unloved things

April 21, 2023

...raise children who love the unloved things...I've always had a knack for seeing the beauty in things that might otherwise seem repulsive -- cupping roving spiderlings in my hands to escape quick-footed spider-squashers is what I do (everyone keeps a tarantula under their bed in college, right?). I don't think I've ever intentionally trampled a spider, come to think of it. Seems ridiculous, I suppose, but I feel for the unloved things. Creepy crawlies and critters that slither might be ... VIEW POST

the_moody_mortal

Jun 5

The excitement is building as we wait for delivery - will Jess be able to grow anything? Will she be able to keep green things from turning brown? Will the knowledge of her ancestors flow freely through her black-thumb veins??

TBD. BUT while we wait, take a gander at these eight greenhouse options we noodled on and tell me which of the eight you think will be making an appearance in our backyard, soon?

ALSO tell me which of the eight speaks to you — if you were to build your dream greenhouse, which would it be?

Browse everything you need to create a dream garden space, here: https://greenhouseemporium.com/coupon/the_moody_mortal/

Link will be available in my highlights: GREENHOUSE

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the_moody_mortal

Jun 4

•• "The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery" Francis Bacon ••

May you feel the mystery here, moody mortals ✨️

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the_moody_mortal

Jun 2

•• creeps & weirdos welcome ••

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the_moody_mortal

May 31

Pride.
It’s not a flag.
It’s a symbol.
A whispered hope.
Hope for an existence absent of hate.
A dream birthed from a riot.
A memorial to those who have died and an antidote to all of the poisonous seeds of self-doubt sown along the way.
A call to all those who feel abandoned and alone.
A sometimes loud but often quiet assurance that you are not simply enough — you are everything.
You are beauty wrapped in a prism of endless possibility.
The possibility of a world where love is not an abomination but a declaration that we are beautifully diverse.
We are knit together as a symbol of what the world could be — let’s make it so.

🎵“The End” — the opening to The Black Parade as my skeletons dressed as @mychemicalromance help celebrate #pride this month. Be beautiful, moody mortals.

#theblackparade #mcromance #mcrmy #pridemonth

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the_moody_mortal

May 30

•• The nursery is busy at Evergreen Lake •• Laid out on the dock, camera in hand, sun peeking over the mountains - what an incredible way to start a day ••

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the_moody_mortal

May 30

•• Colorado wildflower season is upon us -- which means loads of moody florals coming from me. Which of this first batch sings to you? ••

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the_moody_mortal

May 29

•• May you live, until you die ••

A very soggy night @redrocksco with @lordhuron - three years in a row for us and always one of our favorite shows of the year 💀

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the_moody_mortal

May 28

•• A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams ••
•• your misery and hate will kill us all ••
•• so paint it black and take it back let's shout it loud and clear ••
•• defiant to the end, we hear the call ••

The Black Parade in skeleton form inspired by @mychemicalromance

This summer display is the catalyst for my fundraiser benefiting @feedingamerica and I've committed to matching all donations up to $1000 -- help end food insecurity, those "starved in a land of plenty" in the United States. 🖤💀

✨️Donate by clicking the fundraiser link in my bio ✨️

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the_moody_mortal

May 27

•• Have a seat at my table. Let's discuss all things strange and magickal. ••

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the_moody_mortal

May 27

•• Welcome to the Moody Manor, mortals. Summer living inspiration with a dark twist 🖤✨️••

Look for an invite to Moody Mortals Making Change - a broadcast channel dedicated to inspiring one another to do good. Join me!

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the_moody_mortal

May 25

••One of my favorite parts about living in the mountains are the days when we live in the clouds.••

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the_moody_mortal

May 23

Revealing my Moody Manor's summer skeleton display inspired by My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade.

💀When I was a young boy
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said, "Son, when you grow up
Would you be the savior of the broken
The beaten and the damned?"
He said, "Will you defeat them?
Your demons, and all the non-believers
The plans that they have made?"
"Because one day, I'll leave you a phantom
To lead you in the summer
To join the black parade"💀

One of the most moving and powerful anthems ever written (in my opinion) -- this song and album have been a staple in my life for nearly two decades and has been on my list to recreate with my skellies.

Leave the world behind and join me in the parade, won't you? And, if you can, join me in a mission to help end hunger in the United States by volunteering at your local food pantries and consider making a donation to @feedingamerica (QR code on my signs if you're local or visit their website).

💀Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won't explain or say I'm sorry
I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scars
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it's who we are💀

#mychemicalromance #theblackparade #elderemo @mychemicalromance

**Music & inspiration credit to My Chemical Romance -- I do not own rights to the music -- I have taken creative liberty in my artistic interpretation **

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the_moody_mortal

May 22

✨️✨️ Bog witch goals, anyone?? ✨️✨️

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the_moody_mortal

May 21

•• Introducing the sneakity peek before I drop the reveal of the Moody Manor's summer skelly display inspired by @mychemicalromance The Black Parade. Tell your elder emo friends. You'll have to YELL BECAUSE OUR HEARING ISN'T SO GREAT THESE DAYS. *shrug* *skips off into the mist*

Keep your eyes open, moody mortals -- this one is 👌👌👌👌💀💀💀💀💀🤘🤘🤘🤘

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the_moody_mortal

May 19

•• Just a girl and her obsession with all things vintage, odd, moody, and dark. ••

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the_moody_mortal

May 19

✨️A couple of weeks ago, I went in for my yearly physical. Before my doctor came in, I mentioned that I wanted to talk about adjusting my meds — that my mental health had been shit for the past few months and I felt like I needed to do something about it.

I wasn’t expecting my doctor to walk in, sit down, and tell me she wanted to focus on my mental health for the entire appointment — that she would schedule me to come in a week later for the physical stuff.

She was patient, listened, and made me feel as though my mental wellness was the most important, crucial piece of my health. We made a plan, changed medications, and scheduled check-in appointments.

I’m grateful for her attention, focus, and compassion — that I have a team of beautiful souls that support me when I’m mucking about in the swamp of depression, the constant static of anxiety.

She helped quiet my mind, and I am grateful.✨️

•• If you're struggling, know that there are many of us -- and that there are helpers out there that are waiting to grab you by the hand and walk alongside you.••

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the_moody_mortal

May 16

✨️ ** NEW on the blog ** How to build compassion: Chapter 1 •• Read in full by following the link in my bio ✨️

"In The Book Of Joy, a collaborative book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Tutu writes, “I pointed out that so often our parenting in the West is too focused on our children, and their needs alone, rather than helping them to learn to care for others.”

Many of us have been birthed into an individualistic society that prizes individual achievement over the needs and wellbeing of the community. This is engrained in our fabric, it is automatic, and we have to work to dismantle it. I would also argue that this focus on individualism has led to an increase in anxiety, depression, hopelessness. The Dalai Lama talks about this, saying, “A compassionate concern for others’ well-being is the source of happiness…a self-centered attitude is the source of the problem. We have to take care of ourselves without selfishly taking care of ourselves. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we cannot survive. We need to do that. We should have wise selfishness rather than foolish selfishness.”

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the_moody_mortal

May 14

•• We tried our hands at homemade lemonade -- no regrets. We used an automatic citrus-squeezer, 8 lemons, around 6 cups of water, 1.5 cups sugar, and garnished with lemon slices.

Thank you to @cottonprintclub for sharing this beautiful tablecloth and napkins that will be a staple for our outdoor dining area this season. She has created such beautiful prints - Consider supporting her small business ✨️

I'll have all sources up on the blog later this week, mortals.

#sponsored #outdoorliving #ad

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the_moody_mortal

May 14

•• window skellies are always *in* •• 💀💀🖤✨️🙌

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the_moody_mortal

May 13

•• Take a minute to unwind in my garden •• & tell me when you see my favorite silly sticker on my car 🙃 ••

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Compassion. Noun: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. A strong desire to alleviate suffering — compassion is one of the most beautiful of human potentials. It’s a skill, a way of living that must be taught, modeled, shaped… [Continue Reading]
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