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MVP poem episode — under 5 minutes. Poem (2021) → very short reflection. Minimal edit; offered live and with care. TL;DR: Poem | Reflection. Crisis supports & ShelterSafe link in notes. (Ko-fi link up top.)

This episode is literally a poem I wrote in 2021. It’s short — under three minutes — and then I say a few things about what I hear in the poem now: someone trying to figure things out, sometimes getting it wrong, sometimes figuring it out a bit better. No analysis, just a poem and a human voice you can fold into your pocket.

What to expect
• 0:00–~4:30 — the poem (read).
• ~4:30–~5:00 — a tiny post-script: what I notice now and why I’m sharing it.

Trigger note: this episode includes mentions of my personal experience in an abusive relationship. If anything here raises alarm bells for you, please pause and reach out for help — you don’t have to do this alone.

If you need local help in Canada (or Toronto): call 9-1-1 in an emergency. For shelter/find-help tools and local services, ShelterSafe helps you find shelters and supports across Canada. ShelterSafe
Assaulted Women’s Helpline (Ontario) offers 24/7 confidential support: GTA 416-863-0511 or toll-free 1-866-863-0511. https://www.awhl.org
Victim Services Toronto can help with immediate crisis response and referrals. victimservicestoronto.com

Support my work on Ko-fi, or commission something personal. Your support funds ongoing research and support, and a portion of donations goes to The Redwood Emergency Shelter (Toronto)

— Dani Eve

If this landed for you, I’d be so grateful for your support on Ko-fi (more details in the show notes).

I recorded this the morning I heard about a recent death by suicide connected to a close friend. I didn’t know the woman, and still — I have been her. That’s what this episode is about: the strange intimacy of grief and how tiny practices help me stay with it. This is about company, not spectacle.

What’s inside (quick)
• A short, honest piece of my story: why I make these practices and what suicidal thinking looked like for me.
• A plain grounding practice + a gratitude micro-exercise (not fake sunshine — specific, tiny things to hold).

Why a tiny gratitude practice? Short answer: it helps. Research shows structured gratitude exercises (think “counting blessings” or short gratitude meditations) reliably nudge mood, lower anxiety/depression symptoms, and help attention shift toward what’s nourishing. PubMedPMC
There’s also neuroscience that links gratitude and related practices to activity in brain regions tied to reward, value, and connection — basically, practicing gratitude helps your brain notice and value connection more often. PMCFrontiers

A few things to be very clear about
• This is not therapy and not a crisis intervention. It’s a short, companion practice recorded as an MVP — minimally edited, offered now because “now” matters.
• If you feel like you might harm yourself, call emergency services (9-1-1) immediately. For anyone in Canada, call or text 9-8-8 for 24/7 suicide crisis support. Canada.ca 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline
• For Toronto local support, Distress Centres of Greater Toronto are available at 416-408-4357 (408-HELP). Distress Centres Of Greater Toronto

If this helped (or didn’t) — please tell me. A short rating, a DM, or a line on Ko-fi helps shape the next episode and keeps this work ethical and human. If you can, support me on Ko-fi , or commission something personal. Your support allows for me to do what I love, and gives sliding-scale access for listeners who can’t afford to donate.

Thanks for being here. I’ll keep making these small practices, as messy and human as they are. — Dani Eve (therapised, messy, stubbornly hopeful)

Quick research reads (short list in notes): Emmons & McCullough (counting blessings experiment); systematic reviews/meta-analyses of gratitude interventions (see 2023 review); accessible neuroscience summaries on gratitude and reward network changes. PubMedPMC+1PMC+1