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The Prairie Meadow
Trip(s)
Trip(s)
2002 - Age 16
2002 - Age 16
2002 - Age 16
2002 - Age 16
Ollie and Coda
Ollie and Coda
Simon
Simon
The Tree of Music
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My Blog consists of many recent entries (poetry, advocacy) as well as old writing pieces (poetry, short stories, and writing snippets).
I began to write poetry at the age of 14, to express my inner struggles. I wrote poems about beautiful magical places as well as dark pieces about depression and suicide.
I still write nearly every day as a healthy outlet for my emotions. In time, I hope to give all of these blogs context, weaving them together in a linear fashion so they make more sense! :)
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Amy's Journals (2000 - Current)
I have kept sketchbooks since I was three years old while my written journals start at age 14. My journals tend to be scrapbooks, their...
Amy Frank
May 23, 20252 min read
There Are Many Paths To The Top Of The Mountain
“We often treat addiction as a simple lack of willpower, but it is more accurately described as a hunger for the infinite. Carl Jung famously noted that all addictions are a low level search for god. Jung was the Swiss psychiatrist who broke away from Freud to explore the deeper, mystical layers of the human mind. He lived a life deeply immersed in the study of alchemy, dreams, and the collective unconscious. He believed that the human soul has a natural drive toward wholenes
Amy Frank
7 hours ago3 min read
But I’ll Be Back, Love …With Help.
This was an Art As Therapy piece I created in 2020. It was inspired by my friend Nicole (Rest In Peace. May 29, 1983 - September 5, 2021). It’s heartbreaking to me that so many I love are no longer here, yet I still am. There were times when Nicole’s addictions were so bad that I had to cut her out of my life for my own safety and protection (though we’d always reconnect as soon as she was back in recovery. ❤️) I couldn’t save you, Nicole, and I’m sorry for that. Unfortunatel
Amy Frank
5 days ago2 min read
A little jog down memory lane…
I know it’s hard for some to imagine, but for many years I experienced agoraphobia (the fear of leaving my home). For the longest time Facebook kept me connected to the world and to others. When Covid hit in 2020, the world finally became accessible. It was awesome. Suddenly I could attend programs and talk to so many more people because everything moved online. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve grown into myself and come out of my shell, although I’m still timid
Amy Frank
7 days ago1 min read
Amy Frank
7 days ago0 min read
Through The Eyes Of A Child: Returning To Wonderland
I love that this meme was created/shared by a page called “Falling In Love With Yourself”. Having an exploration buddy is certainly the dream — road trips, ghost towns, hikes, neat little coves, rivers, and caves (British Columbia Canada is a BEAUTIFUL place 😍) yet I’ve learned that I’ve gotta make my own life an adventure in the meantime, even if it’s just exploring the city streets (not driving has its downfalls 😕). Every day that I leave my house is an opportunity for ma
Amy Frank
May 193 min read
How To Escape The Matrix (Poetry)
We, as a species, can do the most beautiful things yet in a state of survival, we instigate pain. Selfishness and greed become the new reign. Control is the currency not what’s in the bank. Money keeps the people in place. When fear, hate, and division are the name of the game, freedom occurs when we see we’re the same. Yes, diversity is a much needed thing, yet we’re leaning too far only one way… It looks like we’re different but we’re actually the same. The frame of a bird
Amy Frank
May 151 min read
Healing Sexual Trauma in Male Dominated Spaces
I just had a phenomenal workout at the new downtown YMCA location. I mustered up the courage to inquire about some of their machines as I noticed not every machine I used to work out on is still there. They explained that it’s a smaller space so not every machine and piece of equipment was able to be included in the new facility. They provided me with a personal trainer instead, to take me around and show me different machines/workouts that could provide the same benefit. It
Amy Frank
May 152 min read
The Legends of the Weevils
Before I got in the shower this morning, I spotted a weevil on its back, kicking its legs into the air. I was going to flip it over but I’d seen this behaviour in them before. I thought maybe it was scratching its back (or who knows) so I left it and had my shower. I got out quite a while later and the weevil was still there, still flailing its legs into the air. Considering how long the lifespan of a weevil is, I thought it had been there for quite a while so I intervened, g
Amy Frank
May 121 min read
Could You Love Me Like This?
A friend recently gave me a compliment on my Star Trek uniform, saying I looked sexy. I replied, thanking her, while also sharing that beneath my form fitting clothing I have cellulite, stretch marks, and loose skin from years of gaining weight and then losing it. Another friend piped in saying I wasn’t giving myself a very good sales pitch. I find it fascinating how easily I can see beauty in the so-called ‘imperfections’ of others, yet I struggle to extend that same grace t
Amy Frank
May 112 min read
On Chivalry, Trauma, and Trust
As I was walking home tonight, I was pondering the concept of “old fashioned” romance, or chivalry. I, personally, am a fan. For me, it aligns with my ideal relationship. In the past, I was codependent. I was a damsel in distress, meek and timid. I was a shell of a human being after years of trauma. When I left my fiancé in January of 2020 (my last long term serious relationship), I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know what my interests were. I didn’t have any life skills. I
Amy Frank
May 92 min read
The Gift of Shame
Our society seems to enjoy categorizing emotions as higher or lower vibration—good and bad. Shame is one that often seems to get a bad rap. For me, shame has been one of the most powerful building blocks. The shame and embarrassment of what I did when I was very unwell with my mental health and addictions became a catalyst for change because it forced me to look in the mirror and decide that I never wanted to act like that again. It was humbling. It broke me. And, it made me
Amy Frank
May 12 min read
A Small Act of Self-Love
I went and saw this movie at the IMAX tonight. It was a last minute decision on my part that ended up being the exact nourishment I needed. Being in the field of mental health and addictions right now, especially when I don’t get paid for the work I do, nor do I have a professional team I get to turn to and lean on for support, is exhausting. In the last two years, I’ve repeatedly found myself ready to throw in the towel on my advocacy. This is obviously a passion project for
Amy Frank
Apr 232 min read
The Art of Communication
Communication is a skill I’m continuously working on. This quote resonated as sometimes I think I’m being clear but I’m not being understood. I know that text and email are the worst ways to communicate as they lack body language and inflection, yet as a writer I enjoy connecting through the written word. I obviously love to write, for me it’s like sculpting with words, but what I enjoy most about it as a form of communication is that it allows me to go back and see what was
Amy Frank
Apr 181 min read
Hard Decisions = Easier Life
As counterintuitive as it sounds, the more I chased comfort and an easy life, the harder my life got. Making hard decisions, on the other hand, like pushing myself outside of my comfort zone; exercising when I didn’t want to exercise; facing the emotional pain instead of numbing it; uprooting my life by leaving a person, job, or situation that I knew wasn’t healthy — are what have actually led me to living a much easier life. Meme by @VisuallyNeeded
Amy Frank
Apr 101 min read
I Was In The Wrong
Sometimes the problem is me. A major part of my healing journey has been in looking at my own toxic traits. An example of this is I grew up dealing with conflict by avoiding and fawning. I never realized how harmful it was to be on the receiving end of these behaviours until I started doing a deep dive into my life, looking at what roles I’ve played in the downfall of my past romantic relationships. The deeper I dove, the more I discovered it wasn’t only in romance that these
Amy Frank
Apr 78 min read
Happy 40th Birthday to Me!!! (Photos Through The Ages)
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words (be sure to read the captions). Wow... What a journey it's been! I was born around 3:30am on April 3rd, 1986. Today is my 40th birthday. 40 years around the sun. ☀️ This is an extremely condensed photo series. I don’t know what my future holds but I’m looking forward to living it. 🫂📚💕 Photos: Amy Frank (1993 - 2026) Amy Frank — Age 7 or 8 (1993/1994) Amy Frank — Age 8 or 9 (1994/1995) Amy Frank — Age 9 or 10 (1995/1996) Amy Age 9 or 10 (
Amy Frank
Apr 310 min read
The Eye of the Hurricane (Poetry)
✨⛈️ NEW POETRY & ART ⛈️✨ The Eye of the Hurricane By Amy Frank (March 13, 2026) Long before she came here, they knew that she’d be born. They blessed her with a protective cloak— The power of a storm. Like a dragon who guards the tower, where the princess lies in bed, only a knight of noble heart may reach her sleeping head. In modern times, where dragons were turned into a myth, the trees and plants then blessed her with the powers of the Earth. They gave her inner thunder—
Amy Frank
Apr 12 min read
Triggers Are Guides
One year ago today, I made this post on Facebook: When I saw it come up in Facebook memories, these were my thoughts: "I hold true to that. And, sadly, I also acknowledge that when a society requires emotional avoidance and suppression to function, feelings become a threat. It’s easier to drink, drug, gamble, shop, eat, play video games, watch tv, fuck, and numb out, than it is to feel. Workaholics do the best, even though their avoidance style still harms their lives and rel
Amy Frank
Mar 122 min read
Best Life Advice I’ve Received (So Far)…
This is among some the greatest life advice I’ve ever received: To embody what I seek. I first learned of this concept in dating. If I wanted to date someone who had X, Y, Z — whatever qualities I was seeking — then I also needed to embody those traits. It’s been an empowering approach as the more I’ve embodied what I initially sought externally, I’ve ended up filling my own needs. I no longer outsource my happiness or worth. As a recovering addict, this has been a powerful s
Amy Frank
Mar 101 min read
Lessons in Love
This is to the younger women out there (or really to any woman and person as these wounds aren't gender based). Please learn from my mistakes so you don't have to go through the same pains that I have: If someone exhibits traits of severe jealousy, including monitoring behaviours and accusations; if you set physical boundaries about how much time you'd like to pass before you're ready to engage in sexual relations and they push back: Run. Any person that truly values you will
Amy Frank
Mar 52 min read
Where My Value Lives
Cultivating self-love, self-respect, and self-worth has been such an empowering part of my journey. I've learned that the more my value stems from within, the less impactful the opinions and judgments of others feel. I'm not immune to them of course. We are a communal species and to some degree I feel it's important I care how my words and actions impact others, especially those I love; yet I can also face rejection, feedback, and criticism now better than I could before beca
Amy Frank
Feb 102 min read
2026 Dating Checklist (Shared Values)
It can be scary to ask somebody out on a date, especially if you really like or admire that person. It can feel vulnerable to expose one’s feelings in that way, particularly for men who, societally, have often been disconnected from their feelings since childhood. The possibility of rejection can feel intimidating—even for the most confident among us. Because of this, I’ve decided to create a checklist. Here’s a quick way to find out whether or not we’re compatible, before yo
Amy Frank
Feb 82 min read
A Day In The Life Of A Phoenix
I have no idea what menstruation is like for other women out there, but I’ve come to see some patterns with my own monthly cycle, even though I no longer “have one”. As many know, I had a full hysterectomy last year due to uterine fibroids. I was already on a wait list to get my tubes tied so when the ultrasound came back showing the fibroids were growing I decided to switch my surgery to a hysterectomy. There are some things in life that only time can teach and with medical
Amy Frank
Jan 173 min read
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