264 thoughts on “I’m not a tightrope walker. Yet.”

Read comments below or add one.

  7. I’m in awe of these pictures. You are fantastic girl!! Amazing how you can always bring a bit of happy to my day. Love love love!!!!

  10. I love how casually you say that: “I wrote a post over on Oprah.com” — just hangin’ with O, you know how it is.

  11. You are so unbelievably beautiful. 🙂 And you walk tightropes every day, successfully. We all just have to look closely to see them because you make it look effortless.

  14. Oooh, I get it….pictures speak a thousand words.Brainy. And the subtle Oprah link drop. Very nice! (Cute hat!)

  16. How gorgeous are you!! 😀 Thank you for sharing a little bit of brilliance with us here on the interweb. <3

  17. The big O! You look like you should be in the cast of that show Carnivale. Damn, I loved that show.

    (Me too! ~Jenny)

  19. For someone who doesn’t like being photographed, you really do take a lovely picture. Simply stunning

  20. Just wanted to tell you how much you make me smile! (and I can’t see your updates without thinking how much I need a giant rooster)

  24. If you never experienced Toyah, you should go next time you get back towards your old stomping grounds. I can’t relate the number of lives I’ve reimagined there. It’s beautiful, as are you!

  26. What an amazing article! Thank you for making another person feel less alone in the “terrifying task of living.”

  27. Such beautiful photographs and such a beautiful post, too! Huge congratulations on the Oprah thingie 🙂

  28. I’m echoing my sentiments on Oprah.com…
    I love that you are getting your stories, both the real and the really funny, out to the masses. There is no greater mass than Oprah. Well done, Jenny. Well done.

  29. Excellent post of what it means to be anxiety-ridden. We all have some sort of Amelia…but your’s is better, now I have Amelia-envy 🙂

  31. Koreans go nuts for ‘westerns with light colours hair and a ‘healthy body’. So I am deeply confused when I say, “Don’t come to Korea”. See, I’d make damn sure I’d see your tour or speech here (hell, I’ll even offer to show you around the place!) but I’d be afraid you’d be kidnapped by some rogue Asian group who wants to paint nude art on the inside of flower vases of you…

  33. Loved the post, and the pictures are fabulous. I’ll be honest with you- I first read your blog when someone posted “And that’s why you should learn to pick your battles.” on Facebook. It was hilarious! But the post that kept me coming back was “The fight goes on.” My husband sent it to me, because I have been struggling with depression and anxiety almost my entire life. Some days it feels as though it will swallow me whole. I just wanted to tell you what an inspiration you are. I love your humor, but love that you are a whole person, who acknowledges the dark, instead of sweeping it under the rug, even more! Keep walking the tightrope!

  35. Thank you so much for sharing that post about you and Amelia. You have a wonderful imagination, and I am so glad that you share it with the rest of us.

  36. Simply gorgeous – both the photos and the column. Couldn’t slip one bad word in there though, eh? Too bad 🙂

  38. First a book review in O Magazine, then a post on Oprah.com! You are incredible! An inspiration to millions. Millions, I tell you!

  43. That hat is the most awesome thing! (And yes, Carnivale was a GREAT show! ::shakes fist at HBO::)

    I’m so glad to be able to get to know you a bit through your stories and craziness. It makes me feel better about letting my own brand of crazy out.

  45. “We were dark back before it was cool, basking in a sort of poverty-induced pre-puberty Goth period.”

    I love this sentence. I love that you simply embrace it and then move onward to your message. The entire beginning bit tells the reader “Hey, I’m a little outside the normal box and that is just the way of things and perfectly alright.” It really sets the tone for the whole piece beautifully.

    The story made me think of my future inherited family (my fiance’s family is wonderfully weird) and it was both delightful and inspirational.

    Thank you.

  47. You do realize when you get a tattoo it has to be of a tightrope walker, right? Or a vampire cougar. Or both.

  49. I am sure very soon you will be able to join the circus and be the main act. Start by walking straight on tile lines.

  54. Jenny, you are brave, beautiful, and bold. I love that you are so willing to let us come along on your journey.

  56. As someone who IS CURRENTLY WINNING THE BATTLE against anxiety and depression, I totally relate when you hide in the bathroom and avoid social situations. What makes you amazing is that you get up, look AMAZING and pose for photo shoots. Cameras are my biggest trigger. You are, once again, an inspiration.

  58. Oh my goodness. My daughter is 12 and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at about 7. I think I’m going to send any teachers who don’t understand her behavior to this post. (Especially the one who spent 20 minutes telling me she needed to be more outgoing in class…)

  60. I loved the article. LOVED the article. In fact I love most anything you write, because you make me smile and feel hope and make me want to be that kind of person for other people around me too. My tacky little “day of the year” desk calendar had a quote the other day, and I tore it off and kept it, it sits next to my monitor, and I felt you might appreciate it, given the title of this post.

    “It is never too late to be what we might have been” ~George Eliot

  61. Seriously, with a hat that cute, you could be. Or Miss America, or possibly the president. That is a hat made for ass-kicking the world.

  64. Love those pictures. But that thing you used to do in cemeteries? I do too, except not in the cemetery. I felt weird putting this comment over there w all the nice things people were saying.

  65. Awesome article!

    As an aside, I was sort of disappointed by the url/tab title of “How to Beat Anxiety.” I guess it’s appropriate, but it just doesn’t seem sufficient. Really, Oprah couldn’t come up with anything better? Then I looked at the url for this blog post: “Oprah Thingie.” Suddenly, I feel much better about life.

  67. First things first, you look so freaking gorgeous in that tightrope ensemble. Secondly, thank you so much for writing that article. I have been dealing with depression and anxiety on and off for quite some time and lately I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with panic attacks and what feels like 50 elephants sprawled out on my chest. Funny thing is my mom sent me two articles from Oprah’s website on anxiety this morning which were great and all because let’s face it… Oprah runs the universe… but your article really touched me in a way that seemed to make a couple of the elephants get off their lazy ass and get to doing things that elephants should be doing… like eating peanuts with their cute little trunks or whatever. Anyway, all that to say thank you for sharing your life stories and always being so transparent with your readers. It helps more than you know.

  68. Great post, like freaking always. If you run in to Oprah, will you tell her I love her? Probably in an unhealthy, mildly obsessed, wish we were related for her wisdom (not her money, but if she wanted to give me some that would be awesome) sort of way?

  70. You look absolutely AMAZING in those pictures: somewhere between gothic & steampunk & a circus star. 🙂 However, the picture of you smiling is the prettiest one.
    Keep on fighting your battle: you already ARE lots of wonderful & inspiring things to many, many different people.

  71. Oprah. I mean, OPRAH. Congrats. That’s freakin’ awesome. Amelia is probably fist-pumping her tattooed heaven-arm right now.

  72. I think you deserve a full orchestra of mice for this being posted, not just five. Thanks for helping me to always try to see the beauty in life!

  73. “I was mourning for myself, the outgoing, friend-to-all person I would never be.” The irony, Jenny Lawson, is that you have become exactly that, in your own unique way.

  75. Jenny, that post was beautiful. You are beautiful! And such an inspiration. Thank you for your bravery and honesty and hilarity. I cannot wait to read your book. 🙂

  78. You’re kind of my Amelia (except for the early death and vampire cougar {well, death by vampire cougar (*have* you ever seen a vampire cougar? Are they more suave than regular cougars?)}).

  80. You deserve a taxidermied vampire cougar. Riding a unicorn. Bravery isn’t always slaying dragons. Sometimes, it’s standing back up day after day, refusing to give in to fear. Amelia would be proud.

  81. As someone who has bipolar, anticipatory stress and generalized anxiety, I’ve teetered on a tightrope all my life. I love you Bloggess. You and your sexy mice, alligators…

  83. Doesn’t matter what your ‘hero’s’ story actually was and whether you knew it or not, If Amelia gets you through the tightrope walk of life everyday, then she is doing the hero’s job….

  84. A tattoo is – to me – a sort of permanent red dress. *When* you get the courage, if you really want one, you’ll feel so much better when its all done. Or maybe that’s just the endorphins. Now that they’re done and healed, every one of mine makes me feel so much more beautiful.

    Facing your fears is difficult to do. Every time you do it, it’s a little victory. King of the Weezils that says I’m brave because every year I go to the eye doctor and get checked out even though I have a phobia about having my eyes touched. I don’t feel brave. I feel like I’m going to pee. Maybe one day I’ll get enough courage for laser surgery. Then you can show me your new tattoo and I’ll be able to see it without my glasses.

  86. I’ve only stumbled upon you and your blog recently but I am already completely smitten. You are an amazing woman who’s strength inspires. And you are one funny lady. Reading back through your older posts I have to keep myself from laughing out loud at work. I just want to say thank you. And that I have a serious girl crush on you. You rock.

  87. Just a little article for Oprah…

    Congratulations! It is a wonderful piece, we should have all been as lucky to have an Amelia to encourage us but we do have you now!

  89. Thank you, Jenny, for your courage. Last week’s “depression lies” sent me to the doctor for meds (again) and helped me see that I too have been dealing with anxiety since I was a child. Embracing the tightrope – thank you!

  90. You might not be a tightrope walker, but the pictures are awesome! I’m a bit jealous that you can pull off the smoky eye look. I always just look like I need three days of sleep with that look. 🙂

  91. I have read some of your stuff but haven’t truly sat down to read back on your blog but today while checking through pinterest I found a link to this post. I linked over to Oprah.com and as I read my heart started to hurt and I got a knot in my throat. You have just described my 10 year old daughter. She was diagnosed 3 years ago with Selective Mutism and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and most recently with Panic Disorder. I have been scared for her for years but after reading this and seeing who you are I have found hope. Thank you for this! My daughter will be fine. I can finally see it.

  92. Your “serious” writings make me cry as hard as I laugh at your “funny” posts. You’re brave and beautiful and an inspiration.
    BTW, this package came to my door the other day….some kinda stuffed alligator….huh, must be from one of my swamp cousins in Louisiana.

  96. I thought I was the only one that used to hang out in Texas cemeteries with my sister, also named Lisa. I guess we have even more in common than I originally thought.

  97. I can’t believe you stole my look. Ever see the inside of a windowless van? I have candy. Ice cream? cryogenically frozen frogs dressed like the Disney Princesses in scenes? Just get in the van and stop asking me why they call me Buffalo Bill. I already told you, my name is Jame Gumb.

  99. You really needed a graveyard as a backdrop…especially after I read your post on Oprah…that would have been amazing.

  100. You truly are an amazing and strong individual. I don’t suffer with anxiety but I know a few people who do. Keep fighting :o)

  102. Between the pictures and the post on Oprah, you nearly brought teas to my eyes. Probably because the thought of crying in public scares me to the point of feeling physically ill… But rest assured, when I get home and reread it, a flood of tears will like stream from my eyes. I’ll have to remember to cover my wine glass, lest my cabernet get watered down and salty.

  103. … and then I tripped over your blog and the story and fell in Love… x

  104. Love the photos! I second whoever said YOU were their Amelia. I deal with anxiety and depression too, and it manifests itself in weird ways. But you have no idea how much it helps to know that someone like you, who writes books, meets celebrities, speaks in public, and is so outspoken in many ways, also deals with it. It gives me hope.

  105. That’s such an incredible article you wrote. And it tells the story of an incredible person, with a rich imagination and an attitude towards life that is inspiring. Thank you!

  108. It’s amazing where we find inspiration, isn’t it? Beautiful story.

    Related note: Your pictures are inspiring me to take up sewing because I totally want to make something that I look that fantastic in!

  109. Great pics. And I’m forwarding the story to a friend who lives in pain always, and can’t figure out what purpose she has. Maybe SHE’s the future inspiration for a young girl who never got to know her during her lifetime!

  115. I love the article! I think we all are trying to find our own personal Amelia within us.
    On another note, we recently took our kids to the graveyard to visit my grandma’s grave and my kids were really interested in the gravestones and the stories behind the people who were buried there. We did not come up with stories that were as awesome as Amelia’s though.
    Ever since I read Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book” I have wanted to do some rubbings of headstones, but haven’t yet. Just one more thing for the bucket list, I guess.

  116. Screw the tightrope! You look A-Mazing! The black and white on the right is stunning! Just stunning!

  119. We always went to cemeteries on family trips as well. Unfortunately sometimes they had my name on the grave which didn’t help my anxiety one bit. However, I think your version will stick with me. Can’t wait to read your book!

  126. You are full of wisdom. And whimsy.

    And I used to play in the graveyard behind our house growing up and I’d gather the flowers- real and plastic- that people left for their loved ones and bring them to my mother. I used to take my dolls there and pretend each grave was a big stone mansion for them. To this day, they seem like very beautiful, happy, peaceful places.

  127. You are: AMAZING. GORGEOUS. VOLUPTUOUS. And RADIANT. (In more than a Wilber the pig sort of way.) We love you, Jenny.

  128. Do you have any idea how extra-special-fucking-fabulous you look???? You rock the smokey eye, so much better than these children who end up looking like crackheads.

  129. In the black and white photos, you look like you could be a character from “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. If you haven’t read it, you should. I think you would like it.

  130. Next time that anxiety thing starts to perc, just remind yourself that there is a shitload of us out here who hang on your every word and that you have the capacity to put a smile on thousands of faces every day you post…including mine.

    Continue kicking ass & taking names.

  133. …You could come take a wire-walking class with me in Hollywood…

    It’s marvelous and surprisingly clumsy and yet,
    after 12 feet of wire stretches out into 1200,
    but you somehow make it all the way across?

    You’ve conquered the world.

    …

    And my teacher makes me recite Shakespeare with him when I walk the wire.

    Love that.

  134. 1. Those pictures are just utterly stunning
    2. That article pretty much sums up why I think you are the coolest woman on the Internet. Your writing can be so very hilariously funny, but you tack tougher issues like anxiety and depression with so much compassion, and in a way that makes it so relatable, and helps others not feel so alone. Thanks for sharing your gift 🙂

  136. I tried to post this over there, but it wanted me to sign in, and I don’t like doing that. -_- So I came back here to post it, so maybe you’d see and know how important you are to people.

    “I read your blog religiously because even though you don’t know me, you do. I cried reading this because I deal with the same things. I’m trapped at home so often, because I live in a place with poor public transport, and my anxiety keeps me from being able to drive. It keeps me from making friends in the world, and it keeps me from returning to school like I wish to.
    You give me courage. I am trying to be a tightrope walker too.”

  140. Hi Jenny, I never comment because I’m super lazy but I just had to tell you, when my five year old saw these pics he said “Mama, I love that girl, she’s my most beautiful princess”.

  141. i am usually more of a lurker, but today i had to comment. This article really made me cry. At work. and look like a weirdo (more than usual), but i don’t care. Jenny, you really touch me with your courage and spirit and make me so proud to “know” you. Can’t wait to read the book!

  142. Loved your article. Very well written! I’m working my way out of my current battle with anxiety and depression, so it’s really comforting to read things like this. It feels like a never-ending climb to a destination that I don’t know because I’ve never been there before.

    Have you thought of slack-lining? Like tight rope walking but closer to the ground 🙂

    And the photos of you – great dress!

  143. Can I just say you found your voice – and it’s beautiful.

    From a 49 yr. old woman who struggles with social anxiety and depression, I think you’re my hero. I’m so glad I found your blog.

  144. You always make me cry, Jenny. You make me happy cry and funny cry and sad cry, sometimes in the same sentence. Beautiful story.
    You need to read “Quiet” by Susan Cain if you haven’t already. I felt an enormous sense of relief by the 4th chapter. It’s about introverts, and as a high-reactive, highly sensitive, shy introvert with depression, I feel like I have a future for the first time in ages.
    Or you could create Barbie weddings where various Kens and Barbies are the characters in Harry Potter books. People don’t understand it, but it needs doing almost as much as mouse bands need evening gowns. You know what I mean.

  147. That was beautifully written. Trust me, you are an Amelia to so many people because of what you’ve shared to the world. . .including me 🙂

  149. Hot mama!! Your article is amazing, by the way. You know why you have Amelia? Because YOU created her- you’re the one getting yourself out of the house, out of your shell- and that is so powerful! And a wonderful, unique way you to do it.

  150. These photos are amazing! You give me inspiration to try to be comfortable in my body. I can barely tear my eyes away from the joyous smile on your face!

  151. I’m glad I’m not the only person who spent a good chunk of her childhood in a cemetery. My mom would make a game out of who could find the oldest headstone, the oldest person to pass away, the youngest, etc. When I needed some time to decompress, I’d ride my bike to the cemetery at the edge of town and spend hours in there by myself. Even now, cemeteries are my “happy place”, because they are so peaceful and serene. I’m a little bummed that the city of Chicago is so anal about people not riding bikes, etc. through the city cemeteries, as well as closing up at around 4pm on the weekdays…back home they encouraged people to view them almost as parks and stayed open until 10pm.

    Hm. I think I need to take a walk through the cemetery by my house this weekend.

  153. As usual you look gorgeous. Glad you have managed your tightrope. Unfortunately i seem to have slipped off mine and have landed in the pit. I am not sure if I will make it out this time but just wanted you to know you were one of the few that actually made me laugh. Wish I could hang on for your book delivery but not sure if that will happen.
    Thanks for all the wonderfully ridiculous posts…

    (Hang on. This will get better. Remember that depression lies to you. Don’t believe the lies. ~ Jenny)

  154. I’m only one comment, just like you’re only one person, but I’ll tell you something. You make me feel like anything is possible. You’re a hero to more people than you know, and I wanted to say thank you for that. I wish I could say more. But I think that sums it up alright. Thank you, for being honest with your readers.

    –Lauren E. ONeal

  156. You’re like the dreamiest pretty clown I’ve ever – no. I’d never imagined someone as glorious as you.

    (I’m still constantly astounded you exist.)

  157. Jenny, just stop it. Except NEVER STOP! I don’t make any sense, but you are amazing. I was a little confused by the lack of swearyness in the Oprah post, but I figured that Oprah is kind of a Nazi and probably wouldn’t let you swear. I don’t really swear, but it’s funny when you do. You should re-post the Oprah post here except unedited. Like put the swears that were in your head back on the page. I’m rambling and missing the point. The point is, thank you for being you and for sharing your awesomeness. You make it easier to get out of bed in the morning (even though I’m sitting in bed typing this) because if you can do it, so can I!

  158. Hey, Missicat (comment #151),
    I wish I could give you a hug or at least climb down in the pit with you and hold your hand while you fight the demons. Just know there’s someone out here thinking of you and rooting for you. I know it sucks. But I also know it doesn’t always suck for the rest of forever even though sometimes it feels like it will. So… Good luck. I think you can do it.
    -Just a Girl (Ashleigh)

  161. This was amazing, you’re a beautiful (and hilarious) writer.

    You inspired me to start blogging, as a matter of fact! http://beckyamos.blog.com
    Of course, I’m nowhere near you in humor or skill, but still…thanks for the inspiration!!! Keep it up, can’t wait to read the book!

  162. Missicat (#151):
    Please hang in there. Ashleigh (#156) is right – there are people here who are rooting for you. Jenny’s book comes out next week – set that out in front of you like a shining star in the darkness. Remember, depression/anxiety is a lying liar who lies. Call it what it is and keep fighting. We’re here for you.

    KidRanger

  165. @Neisha Cedeno
    I have GAD and PD as well, have had ever since I can remember. They didn’t diagnose kids when I was a kid. With a mother who loves and supports we can do ANYTHING. Just want to reassure you. *hug*

  166. I received your autographed book plate today!!!!!!!! Totally made me smile! Thanks so much:)

  167. EXCELLENT article. I know it’s cliche to say (it’s cliche to say, “it’s cliche to say”), but I can totally relate to this story. For one, the anxiety, which has prevented me from doing anything that I’ve ever really wanted to do in life. But mostly, your thought-process at cemeteries. I grew up next to a cemetery and find them so interesting for many of the reasons you mentioned in your article. Every Memorial Day, my friends/family always tease me (playfully), because along with my deceased family/friends, I will always make it a point to put flowers on the graves of those who have been deceased for so long that they are no longer in anyones’ memory. These graves are generally bare during Memorial Day. I always gravitate to the ones that are so old that you can no longer decipher their names on their stones. Some of them just look like stone knubs, I’m assuming because they were of the lower socio-economic class. The thought of being forgotten completely scares me to an extent, but I have come to terms that it is inevitable for most people in time. However, being forgotten and completely and infinitely unacknowledged as if you never existed doesn’t only scare me a bit, but it makes me question the significance of everything in general. I don’t know…

    Loved the article, great job!

  169. You look lovely truly hun. ;0) Nice to see you keep lively! Can’t wait to get your book next week…so excited to read it!

  171. Jenny, you are just amazing. You are my own personal hero. Right behind my mom. The list currently goes:
    1. My mom
    2. The Bloggess
    3. Madonna

  172. Nice piece at OPRAH.com.

    You have given voice to something too many are scared to confront. Good job.

    sj

  173. Thought its sounds like the red headed step child to a tightroping, I’m sure Amelia would approve the growing trend of slacklining. I only just discovered it myself, but it seems just as hard and much lower to the ground. Apparently crazy rock climbers were slackin-it-up back in the 80s, but now folks are doing it for the hell of it and to practice balance for board spots [snow, skate, surf…].
    So yea, thought I would toss the idea/suggestion out there, […try slacklining some day] since today I learned abt it today and today you posted abt Amelia the most amazing tightrope artist of her time. Coincidence… I’m told there’s no such things. …but i was also told, at abt 10y/o, by my older brother that thermopoly was the condition of having an abnormally low body temperature, typically one that is dangerously low. Later I found out he’s a liar and that the condition he was renaming was really called hypothermia… thats like tell a kid that blue is yellow and having them believe it. mind blowing.

    Jodie B

  175. I received my signed bookplate today! 🙂
    I can’t wait to get the book to put it in! Thank you so much for signing so many bookplates. You made my day!

  179. Thank you for your post, “Amelia and Me” on Oprah.com. I forwarded it to my daughter. Like you, she suffers from anxiety, depression, and self harm – and she’s only 17. She’s been in therapy for almost a year, and she is getting better. Medication helps, but people like you help more. I know that it is difficult for you to share your struggle with anxiety and self-harm, but please know that you have given me hope. Hope that even though she will struggle, she will survive. You have proven that it is possible. Thank you.

  181. Jenny ~ bless you. You truly are an Amelia for the whole damn world and most especially for those of us who sometimes fall into pits. Lately I feel I’ve been hovering on the edge but at least this time around I’m aware and fighting for balance every day.

    Missicat ~ Hang on. HANG ON! There are so many hands reaching out for you. Grab on, sister, and we’ll be grabbing right back. We, every single one of us on this fucking planet, NEED YOU, WANT YOU and the love, vision, imagination, silliness, gravity, dreams, screams, laughter and inspiration that only you, you single lovely piece of the whole, have to share with us. I’m holding you in love and Light.

  182. Your courage, drive and strength are an inspiration. I love that you are willing to share your stengthens and weaknesses instead of hiding them as we are so often forced to do in society today.
    P.S. I pre-orderd your book for my Nook and am literally counting the days until it comes out 🙂

  184. I love the idea that Amelia is still serving life after her death. What a badass tightrope walker she must have been. And obviously your first tattoo should be a unicorn, since you’ve had such a year of success.

  185. What a beautiful essay! (And photos) I loved it!

    P.S. Will be coming to see you in L.A. next week with husband- anything I should know so I get to meet you in person? I must get a photo PLEASE!!! Or I’ll die a thousand Amelia deaths.

    Love,

    Heidi

  186. You have the costume and hair DOWN, so I’d say you’re a good 75% on your way to being one already. 🙂

  189. Great sharing of article!!, I’m sure Amelia would approve the growing trend of slacklining. I only just discovered it myself, Thank you for sharing this kind of article..

  190. Completely unrelated – I am now the VERY proud owner of an official Jenny Lawson signature (it came today!), and anxiously awaiting being the proud owner of my very own Jenny Lawson book.

    Related – You are gorgeous and wonderful.

  191. Actually yes. Yes, you are. I will always picture you when I re-read Dorothy Gilman’s “The Tightrope Walker”.

    And someday, if you haven’t already, you will pirouette on that tightrope. And I have already and will continue to applaud while you do.

  192. Jenny, you make me cry and laugh at the same time. You are an inspiration and I love following you on your blog and on Twitter. You would definitely be one of my ‘ultimate dinner party’ guests, even if it was just via video feed from your bathroom.

  193. When I was a girlie, my family lived on a rural Kentucky farm, its property including a bomb shelter and an old cemetary from the 1800’s. Oh, the fun my siblings and I had in that cemetary…and what great writing material came from that!

    Thank you for sharing. I think we all have our own Amelia’s.

    Happy National Poetry Month!

    Prevail

  196. Gawd, you are beautiful! Inside AND OUT! and brave…really, REALLY, brave! AND BOLD! yep…re-upped my cyber-crush on you with this one. BRAVO, Ms. Bloggess, BRAVO!

    SOOOO wish I could see/meet you when you are in the SF Bay Area, but the signing is far away from the City proper and I am a carless, city-gal so alas…

    Can’t wait to receive my copy of your book!!

  197. Congratulations! According to the little tv in the elevator in my office building, you’re one of today’s top headlines.

  198. I may be your newest stalker. I started following your blog when someone posted a joke on facebook about a giant metal chicken. I’ve been here ever since. I have laughed out loud, sent your parenting columns to my mom, and read everything you’ve posted since then. I’m just commenting now, because the article you wrote resonated with me. You’re my hero!

  199. My daughter – a graduate student at the University of Washington – discovered your writing and has been emailing me links. I have not laughed this hard at written words in years. Your writing takes me back to the early 80s, when I discovered Dave Barry and Patrick McManus.
    Wonderful stuff. People who tell you anything different are assholes. Ignore them.

  203. Showing up late to add my voice to the chorus — love the pictures and the article was inspiring. Oh, and I got my bookplate in the mail today — squee! 🙂 Your signature looks hella better than mine would after signing it even a dozen times, much less several thousand.

  204. Hi – I received the autographed sticker for my book, now I just need to wait for the book! Can’t wait to read it!

  205. Jenny – You are total awesomesauce! I just wanted you to know I got my bookplate today and I totally love it and appreciate the fact that you risked further disability by signing all elenty!!billion of them by hand instead of computer generating them. It is SO COOL, I can’t wait to paste it in my book once it gets her.

    Love you, and keep up the good fight. You are a great mom, a great person, and a wonderful wife. Ignore any assholes or inner demons that tell you otherwise. *hugs*

    Love,
    a fan, in Bel Air, MD

  206. Beautiful. That’s you. From inside out!

    I wish everybody could have their own Amelia to inspire and help them overcome life 🙂

  212. This is the first time I’ve ever had the impulse to walk a tightrope. And it’s for the outfit, because I’m shallow like that.

    I also would love to know what you would get for a tattoo if you were to get one. I had to talk myself into my tattoo (a stylized teardrop to remind myself to save my tears for things that really mattered). I love what my tattoo stands for, but I wish I’d spent a little more time planning it, because I spent so much time talking myself into it that I just let the tattoo guy draw it for me without much input from me.

  214. I didn’t even click on the link… I was distracted by your photographs. Would it be creepy for one woman to tell another, “You have very nice cleavage. I kinda want to motorboat your fabulous cleavage”? Eh, too late I guess.

  215. Not to say you were previously hideous, however you just get more gorgeous every single photo shoot.

    Is it the almost famous soon to be actually famous thing?

  216. I have read killer reviews for your upcoming book in several magazines, including Oprah. Can’t wait and I am so glad I have mine preordered.

  220. I haven’t even read the piece yet but I had to comment because when the page opened and I saw your pictures, I said out loud “wow!” I LOVE the bangs!!! Beautiful pictures!

  224. You are a friend to SO many now. The internet really is an amazing place, and you are an amazing human being. So honored that you share yourself with us.

  226. I just wanted to say this. I am the happiest fan you have right now! My bookplate arrived today, and was promptly hidden until my book arrives! Thank you kindly!

  229. Firstly: You are absotively, posolutely beautiful. Love those pictures!!

    Secondly: I left a sincere, heartfelt comment over on oprah.com and my browser ate it. (Or maybe a CYBER vampire cougar ate it – oh my damn, they’re everywhere!) So I shall reiterate it here: I am eternally grateful that you found Amelia, and that she has helped you find the strength to push through your fears. I read your blog faithfully, and whether you’ve made me laugh so hard I have coffee coming out of my nose, or you’ve touched my heart to the point that I have tears streaming down my cheeks, you have inspired me to push through my own fears and step through my own life story – even when the depression and anxiety tell me it’s not worth the effort. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with so many of us.

    Thirdly: Your parents are awesome.

    That is all.

  231. I love your writing! You are hilarious and I recommend you to a lot of friends and family (ok, and strangers). I became hooked after a new friend, an awesome, crazy girl named Heather, retold the Coperinicus the homicidal monkey tale on a camping trip. I need more and was wondering if there is an easier way of getting to the first post than hitting previous post about a thousand times.
    The best of well wishes to you and yours.
    Your so hip it’s a wonder you can see over your own pelvis!
    -Meg

  232. Love the pics, they make me think of Stevie Nicks! Also, totally excited I got the bookplate in the mail today and that means the book is not far behind! Best Friday the 13th ever!

  233. That was inspirational in the extreme. We also used to play in graveyards, and I also spent my childhood knowing I didn’t belong. I still don’t. I rejoice, however, in the small party of wonderful oddballs who inhabit the space outside the warm circle of those who belong. I’m grateful for you.

  234. Awesome, Jenny, as usual. I read your serious articles and see myself so much. I love reading your blog whether it’s funny or serious, or in between!! I have both And that’s Why You Should Pick Your Battles and Would You Like to Buy a Monkey bookmarked cause I keep rereading them. Too funny!! I have depression and body image problems (like so many of us), and you’re one of the people that reminds me that I have worth, that I matter. (I also have a Depression T shirt from your Zazzle store that ROCKS!!!!) Keep up the good work. And, btw, I have Everyone Says Fuck Off stuck in my head now. Thanks for that, lol.

  235. So, I didn’t get my bookplate today but I did get an empty envelope from Penguin Group. So maybe it’s a ghost bookplate? Or some invisible anthrax? Anyway… thanks?

  236. You are truly amazing Jenny. I love the article and the pictures. I feel that way a lot too, it’s good not to feel alone. I know I don’t know you but luv ya anyways =)

  238. These pictures are beautiful, As are you, obviously.

    Ps. You’re Jenny Lawson, which is soooo much awesomer (<–Apparently that's not a real word, or I just don't know how to spell, either way that's lame) than being a tightrope walker. Justsaying.

  241. your pictures are beautiful and so is the story. Thank you for inspiring us all to be brave.

  242. What fun pictures!

    Also I recieved my signed book plate today and about peed my pants. 4 More days till the book comes out!!!

  243. I love what you wrote on Oprah’s website. You are a great storyteller! And, on the internet, you seem to have found a way to be a friend to all. I admire you.

  245. 1. The pictures are glorious!!! You pose with such self confidence.
    2. My mother lived in a cemetary when she was little and practiced reading using the headstones (my grandfather was caretaker). While they lived there, my uncle was born at home. The house has long ago been torn down and my uncle bought a burial plot where it stood. So he’ll be buried in the same place he was born. Visiting seems a little less strange now doesn’t it?
    3. I got my book plate in the mail today. Yeeeaaahhh!!! Now I just need the book.

  246. Just read the piece on the Oprah site. Bravo, Jenny Lawson. Just that. Bravo.

  250. I also got my bookplate in the mail after a long, hard day. I held it to my cheek and felt furiously happy.

  251. Got my bookplate in the mail on Friday the 13th – my lucky day. Tucked it under the iSkin on my iPad, so I can see it when I read your book on my Kindle app. Am I weird to be so geeked about a signed bookplate? Based on the comments here, I’m guessing “not.”

  253. This is in response to Mother Jenny Lawson on CNN interview this morning that “Mommy” should not be used today. Mommy Lawson is definitely an unhappy mother & very unsatisfied carreer. Anyone who discredit a stay-home-mom is surely phony happy carreer mom.

  254. Re: your CNN appearance Saturday morning
    Most thinking people were sensitive to the possible implications of what Hilary Rosen said about Mrs. Romney being a stay at home mother. But those same thinking people should realize the point Ms Rosen was trying to get across was that Mitt Romney is out of touch with the struggles of women, working or not, because she never had to worry about money (whether you agree or not ). That she was a stay at home mom was incidental to her point, even though both parties seized the comments because of the potential political ramifications of this particular interpretation. That point aside, as a woman reacting to the insensitivity of Ms. Rosen’s comments, I would think you would consider the effects of your own hyperbole when suggesting that choosing between being a stay at home mom and a working mom is like choosing between the Cripps and the Bloods. Or is it really like being born at an economic disadvantage in a country that discriminates against you because of your race and having so few choices and opportunities so as to force you into gang life?

  255. Dear Jenny, thank you for your answer to Missicat’s comment above. ‘Remember depressions tells you lies to you. Don’t believe the lies.’ Just what I needed to hear too and, dear Missicat, Jenny is so right. Hang on and don’t listen to the lies.

  257. @ Karen #235 – I got an empty envelope from Penguin Group as well?!?!

    I hope somebody is reading these, I posted earlier as #138 and never heard anything. So bummed if that was supposed to be my bookplate. 🙁

  258. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!

    I had emailed Putnam this morning from their website and a woman named Mary Stone emailed back promptly and was so sweet to offer help!

    Thanks again, Jenny. As cool as my very own, limited edition, invisible bookplate is, I’m so stoked to get a tangible one as well. 🙂

  260. You look so schmexy. Thank you for reminding me that though plus-size girls may always be led to believe otherwise, we can still be SMOKING HAWT!!!

  261. So the absolute worst thing is reading your new posts and then all the ones I might have missed and then running out of posts. So I go to page 35 or 47 or 92 just to try to find things that my senile brain (which is pretty senile for a twenty year old brain) has forgotten that I read, so I get to re-experience the funny. So I ended up on this page and, while it’s not far back enough for me to have forgotten, I realized that it’s a travesty I didn’t comment on it the first time I saw it to tell you how devastatingly beautiful you are. You are refreshing and gorgeous and genuine and brilliant, and you shouldn’t forget it. In case you do, hopefully we won’t drop the ball in regards to reminding you. =)

  263. I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but
    your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later on. Many thanks

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