The Shrieking Cactus

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Welcome to The Shrieking Cactus
Hi, I'm Joy, a Texas-based journalist and memoirist. Each week, I write about making meaning from trauma and how to be less prickly in life.
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Joy V.
NYT's big article on vaccine side effects is a long time coming
I developed a weird type of severe hives after my COVID-19 booster shot, yet I felt like no one believed me.
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Joy V.
14
Still processing a very wild weekend
'Life is prickly. Bloom anyway.' A weekend at the Cactus Creek Ranch in deep South Texas.
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Joy V.
8
This is my garden? This is MY garden!
How I (over)compensate for lingering regret about giving up my dream of becoming a biologist.
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Joy V.
18
Learning to thrive in the Bog of Eternal Stench
How the arrival fallacy can make achievement a big letdown
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Joy V.
13
When your grief is due to a global medical scandal
Author and photographer Kathy MacKay on making meaning from the loss of her husband when he was just 34.
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Joy V.
15
In 1945, a steel bridge was rebuilt in six days
Last Tuesday, I saw a collapsed bridge in Baltimore. I also saw my grandfather.
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Joy V.
1
On slaying existential depression (for now)
Takeaways from the book 'The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression'
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Joy V.
10
Facing the ocean's fury
A micro-essay on riding the waves of maternal anxiety.
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Joy V.
3
How a 3-day 'wilderness fast' reset my soul
An ER doctor and author shares her story of reconnecting to her spiritual side after COVID left her searching for more
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Amy Walsh
Did I win? Did I win? Did I win?
As the wise sage Tom Petty once said, the waiting is the hardest part. Especially with writing success.
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Joy V.
13
Envy is not the thief of joy. Here's what is.
When we demonize normal emotions, we demonize ourselves. (Also: An update on a special butterfly.)
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Joy V.
An author's hijacking story holds lessons for us all
'When you can't completely feel your sadness, you can't completely feel your happiness,' notes author Mimi Nichter
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Joy V.
5
Finding Joy: A simple concept sets my frustrated soul free
Goal setting doesn't have to be about measurable outcomes!
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Joy V.
8
The Shrieking Cactus
The Shrieking Cactus
Weekly musings for prickly people recovering from trauma and/or learning to love themselves (and the world in general). From writer, nature lover, and recovering crankypants, Joy V.
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