The Lighter Side

"The lighter side" is intended to help my visitors, as well as to help me, Darlene Barriere. Please trust me when I say that this page is indeed following my philosophy to educate and improve the lives of my visitors.

You see, there are days when I am so inundated with articles, headlines and images of child abuse that I find myself in a funk, in a dark place, a place that I really don't want to be. On these days, even my workouts aren't enough to give me the release I need in order to gain perspective and balance.

How do you find the lighter side? Share your stress-buster!

De-stress with the following books:

Simple Golf Swing

Learn Magic Tricks

The Science of Success

Law of Attraction Home-Study Course

On these darker days, I find it necessary to find another outlet; which got me thinking: Are my visitors in that same dark place, especially after reading some of the more difficult-to-comprehend child abuse stories? And if my visitors are in a funk, what can I do to lighten things up for them? What can I do to help put a smile on their faces?

I decided to create a page that was dedicated to sharing what people do to find the lighter side of life. The following is an example of what I've done to de-stress.

Yesiree bob, I found, puzzled together and lovingly placed every single stone, rock and boulder you see in this retaining wall.

What exactly do rocks have to do with the lighter side? Let me assure you, I don't have rocks in my head.

On any given day, I read countless child abuse stories, headlines, articles, and essays. I review child abuse forums, answer child abuse related questions, and I write several child abuse articles a week. I've made child abuse an integral part of my life; and while I wouldn't change that for the world, every now and again I find myself thrown into a bit of a funk because of it.

Last summer, I was dealing with a multitude of changes on my website that I needed to de-stress about. I decided to take on the rockery as a project, as a way to step away from the challenges I was facing. I planned the retaining wall, found each and every rock at various spots along the lakefront road, I hauled them one by one to the back of our truck, loaded them up, then carefully drove them to our campsite. I then un-loaded each rock, sorted them by size and shape, and then puzzled them in a workable order. I shoveled away weeds, grass and dirt, after which I physically dropped every rock into place and back-filled with more dirt, grunting whenever the need arose.

As laborious as the project was, I found that when I worked on the rockery, I was taken completely away from any other thoughts. No troubles. No worries. No strength left to ponder. It was then I realized . . . rocks rock!

I know I'm not alone in my need to lighten the load when life takes control of my senses. I'm sure that every one of you has an activity you use to relieve the stress in your life.

We all need to lighten the load every now and again. Tell us how you find the lighter side. And don't forget to include photographs. They are gleefully accepted in this category.

Check out the lighter side submissions on this page...

Rocks, wool, plants and tools  Rocks certainly do rock! I have personally built more than 35m of drystone wall about 1m high out of uncut basalt rock. Blistered hands, callouses, aching ...

It's like writing a poem on my kitchen table  This may be silly. Over the years I have found it to be increasingly difficult to escape thoughts and memories. My depression and anxiety have both increased....

Skating  When I was going through what I did, (see Child Abuse Story From Spades ) I would always see these three boys outside skateboarding. It made me realize ...

Read and Walk  When I get stressed out and things become too much, I go to my neighbour's house where I get paid for dog walking and offer to take their dogs out for ...

Reading Poetry  I like to read poetry to unwind. I came across this poem and thought it would be a good thing to share.


Angels are ever all around us,
And with ...

Forward thinking  I really like to imagine what my life will be like in the future and I like to dream big. Then I move away from the past events that have bothered me so ...

Happy New Year!  To my visitors and contributors: I take this opportunity to express a heartfelt thank you for helping my website become the foremost child abuse site ...

Video Games = Lifesaver  I started playing video games at age 6. My first video game of my own was a GameBoy Color along with the "Blue" version of Pocket Monsters (or "Poke'Mon"...

Another Gingerbread House  Each year, there are any number of children in our local woman's shelter here in Kamloops. As a child, I was never in a shelter, but I can tell you, there ...

Writing Saved My Life  I was very suicidal and stressed out with no one to talk to. A friend bought me a journal, and I started writing everything down in the forms of poetry ...

Healing and Fun with Gingerbread  Can building and decorating a gingerbread house be a relaxing and healing experience? Yes yes yes . . . ABSOLUTELY!

We all live busy lives. Our hustle ...

Walk, and leave the candy alone!  Take a leisurely walk and enjoy colorful pumpkins, but keep your mitts off the bags of candy that you've purchased for trick-or-treaters. I've already ...

Fitness: A Path Toward Healing and Recovery  Most of us know that fitness is essential for a healthy body, but what most don't know is that fitness can help a person along the road to healing and ...

I Have a Tea Party  I have my own tea party with a little brown porcelain pot filled with tea, and fancy cookies. Then I sit in a quiet spot and read one of my comfort books....

Chanelle's De-stress Formula  When the memories get too vivid and I need to get myself out of my negative thinking cycle, this is what I do to get the endorphins kicking in. Below are ...

Make Your Life Work for You Rather Than the Other Way Around 



It’s no secret that most child-abuse survivors wrestle with lifelong emotional-and-physical issues, but I look at “The Lighter Side” of life ...

Carole and Her Beloved Dogs  This is Shomer (Show-Mare) and Zohar with me on the Golden Gate Bridge, Northern California. Very proud, indeed!
Carole de-stresses with her cherished ...

Lunch and a Million Dollar View  A mere thirty-minute walk from our campsite and this is the spectacular million-dollar view that awaits us! This mountain ledge is where I go to meditate ...

Lighten Up With Curling  We're a couple who live in the north.
We wanted to take up a sport.
We decided a broom would make us both swoon.
Curling was what we brought forth....

This page was updated with a new entry May 20, 2008