Kelli Dunham

Just heard someone refer to themselves as "numb as a box of rocks" which is less ableist right? Are rocks numb? They don't feel right? But do we know this? And if so, how? This is going down the road of captcha asking me if I'm really human, and it stumps me for just a moment.

Yeah I used to say that my partner’s attempts in such cases were truly heroic. It wasn’t reassuring bc she couldn’t do that. But it was very loving!

Two white people smile at camera, one older with curly hair the other mid 40s with a pink shirt and short hair cut

Does mother's day have to suck so much, answer questions on Hoping Intentionally

I'm writing a piece for my substack about how to make MOTHER'S DAY SUCK LESS. Want to add your thoughts on my 1-question Google form? I can link back to your socials or substack OR you can be anonymous and tell folks about their nonsense while still maintaining privacy. bit.ly/makemothersd...

Having been partnered with a lovely caring person who was --in her words-- extremely autistic and watching her screw up her face in an attempt to come up with what she called "a statement of emotional reassurance" I can say: there was pain involved for both folks!

There's a flip side too: as a person becoming involved with an ND person, it is my responsibility to consider how their behavior impacts me. EG If a partner legitimately can't emotionally reassure me, but I'm a person who needs emotional reassurance, pretending otherwise helps neither of us.

Looking forward!

person wearing white nun garb and holding a small baby

I did a live react to reading a 30 year old letter to my mom written when I was a nun. But I had to stop bc I was so profoundly embarrassed for how preachy I was. Def not what my mom needed at that point in her life. Or ever! bit.ly/livereactnun

Did we just never run into each other? How was your weekend?????

I am! I remember you! Going to qI speed dating?

Holy Week, Humiliation, and the Tampon That Did Me In Good Friday as a nun is a special kind of immersive theater, and the show is always ‘You’re the Worst Person Alive: A Passion Play.’”

The last one was the subject of my substack today bit.ly/holyweekwith...

The harder you work on hating yourself, the less kindness you can display. What do extreme self hatred and extreme self indulgence have in common? SELF

“Offer it up” was the convent version of “get over it.” Don’t do that to people. Let them complain a little. Especially about cramps. Don't do that to yourself. You need to complain a little too.

You can try to be low-maintenance in a group living situation, but if you attempt to be no-maintenance, it'll just be a mess. Your body has needs. You can't wish them away.

If your idea of service means making yourself smaller and smaller until you disappear—stop. That’s not service. That’s martyrdom cosplay,

Living in tight quarters with people you didn’t choose is excellent training for…every job, every family gathering, and the MTA

It's good Friday which means it's CPTSD day for all your ex-nun friends. What? I'm your only ex-nun friend? I wrote up some convent takeaways with their IRL possible applications. In random order, here are a few.

I appreciate folks being conscientious about image description, I’m actively trying to hold myself to a higher standard. And also “standing on stage in a red sweater holding a diet Mountain Dew” could be applied at almost any time to photos of me.

I know noticing what Gen Z And Gen Alpha CAN’T do is fun but I’m fascinated by the things they’re great at. Why is this generation SO good at Simon Sez?

Can’t wait! It’s virtual so everyone can be a part! Well everyone with internet.

Me as a nurse: your pain is valid, of course. Let's brainstorm together to find some possible solutions. Me as a patient: Of course, I should be healed by now through sheer willpower. And optimism.

Can a show with the word "dead" in the title be funny. How about if it includes ex-nun stories? How about then? The stories are from a current ex-nun, but I was a current nun when they happened. Anyway it's happening in Columbus this weekend! The show that is. bit.ly/secondhelpin...

This is NOT a rhetorical question: do I need to keep every video message I made telling people my mom had died? And if not, why am I still keeping them? Electronic hoarding really is a thing.

STUDENT: You know, this is such a nice sandwich but it doesn't seem like a....um....it's very um...I mean. ME: It doesn't seem like a sandwich an adult would eat? STUDENT: Yes. (I nod my head in agreement, --we smile and shrug at each other resume the story conversation). End scene (7/7)

After a few moments of silent chewing, as peanut butter and marshmallow fluff requires very diligent chewing, we continue the story conversation). (6/7)

STUDENT: Um, sure. Maybe. (I hand the student the sandwich, cut in half diagonally, he looks a bit skeptical, I realize I should eat so he feels more comfortable eating. I sit down and take a bite, he takes a bite tentatively at first. Then smiles, then eats. (5/7)

ME: (remembering that I brought a fluffer nutter sandwich for lunch, run to my backpack in the next room, come out holding the aluminum foil-wrapped sandwich) This is it! Hey you want half?! (4/7)

ME: Peanut butter plus that white marshmallow fluff that comes in a tub. STUDENT: What? I don't even understand what those words mean. ME: Well, marshmallows are... STUDENT: No I understand each individual word, I don't get the words together. (3/7)

Student is sitting next to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich he brought up from the cafeteria and struggling to recreate the timeline. ME (trying to lighten the mood): Do you like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches? The cafeteria never does that, do they. STUDENT: What. (2/7)

Yesterday's Moment of Teenage Diplomacy. Scene: The school library, lunchtime. An adult and a teenager sit together at a table, using a large sheet of paper to lay out the timeline for a student's story. (1/7)