River City Connections — 2025-11-08 (Patreon)

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CLEAR STREAMS AND NEW BEGINNINGS by Cindi Curtis

t’s been a good week. Work has gone smoothly, and my daily rhythm—FaceTime morning devotionals, lunches, and evenings with Michael—has felt amazing. Even our World of Warcraft sessions with Jordan have become a kind of midweek reset. The excitement has settled into something better: the quiet satisfaction of shared time.

Right now, I’m doing yoga in my living room, just breathing and stretching. My anxiety has hovered at a bothersome but manageable level, but I’m learning to work with it instead of against it. My therapist taught me a few relaxation techniques I can finally use when I feel that familiar tightening in my chest. They don’t erase it—but they help me move through it.

I think looking forward to Michael’s visit in a few weeks helps too. Hope has a stabilizing power. It turns the waiting into part of the healing.

That said, I had a rough moment earlier this week. I went out to bring in the trash can and a neighbor slowed their car to ask if I’d seen their missing dog—a white Great Pyrenees. In that instant, my panic spiked. My mind raced. My words stumbled. I managed to say no, and they drove on, but afterward, I had to stand there a while just breathing before I could go back inside.

The thing with my anxiety—it isn’t the same as fear. Generalized anxiety disorder is like an undercurrent that runs through everything—thoughts, decisions, even quiet moments—always looking for some reason to panic.

Now, I handle moments like that one with my neighbor better. The tension still rises, but it doesn’t take over. That’s what recovery looks like for me—not the disappearance of anxiety, but the ability to keep living through it. And that’s growth I’m grateful for.

Psalm 16:8 says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”

I carry that verse into my mornings—it reminds me that strength isn’t the absence of struggle but the quiet persistence through it.

The Storylines are the heart of Ailana Geven Imagines, and they are found in the Collections section of the site.

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Pleast all characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

GETTING REAL by Michael Allen

Let me kick this post off by saying I’m not complaining. But (not to compare myself to Cindi) I am feeling a pretty good dose of anxiety. Things in my life are (as they say) getting real.

Let’s start with Cindi. I cannot tell you how excited—and partly nervous—I am about going out to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with her. I must also add that my mom is unhappy, but in a good way, if that makes sense! My mom and dad are still up in the Chicago area on the northwest side. My older sister, Rachel, was visiting when I made the call and she stopped mom short of telling me to pack my nice underwear, which she always says about every trip to anywhere.

Moving on… ClearStream, LLC is officially recognized by TN with three members: Cindi, Jordan, and me. Jordan and I played rock-paper-scissors to decide who has to do the monthly tax reports. I lost.

Moving on… I called the grad student who’s starting the internship in January. Yes, he’s on board to start December 1. Carter Ellis, working on his MA in Communications.

Therefore… I picked up the phone and called a guy in Dubai. Yes, he wants a detailed review of his current materials and is paying our rate for that. I’m getting Cindi in on taking a look at his website navigation… Jordan and I are waiting on some zip files containing their printed materials and design assets.

Moving on… I talked to the director of my department for the Nashville company. He heard me out and accepted the “pending outcomes” stipulation. His response?

“I’m very open to the idea. And, if you need a wingman for your first trip to Dubai, hit me up! On ClearStream’s tab, of course.”

He was kidding. I think.

Point is, he didn’t fire me on the spot.

So, I guess you can see I’ve got a little stress going on. Plus, I’m looking for the pasta aisle, and am about to pop a gasket! How hard can it be?

Wish me luck! On everything.

Be your best you!

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