<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Ballastexistenz]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Mel Baggs]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/author/ameliabaggs/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[The real scarf.]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>This is a scarf my mother bought me during the holidays last year:</p>
<p><a href="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="1627" data-permalink="https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/the-real-scarf/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm/" data-orig-file="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg" data-orig-size="1080,720" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="Photo on 5-27-14 at 12.25 PM" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=1024" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1627" src="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=682" alt="Me with a red scarf around my neck, with fringe on the end" srcset="https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=682 1024w, https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w, https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200 300w, https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg?w=768&amp;h=512 768w, https://ballastexistenz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-on-5-27-14-at-12-25-pm.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"   /></a></p>
<p>Pinned to it was a note saying &#8220;to wrap around your heart&#8221;.</p>
<p>I cried.</p>
<p>Because it was a reference to <a href="https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/the-scarf-a-comic-about-delirium/">this comic I wrote</a>, about my experiences with delirium.  The scarf in the comic comes to symbolize a connection to the deepest parts of reality, the only thing I had to hang onto when I was severely delirious and disoriented.  And in real life, I use this scarf the same way.  I wear it when my mind isn&#8217;t working quite right and I want to maintain my hold on reality.  Things like this are really useful.  And I cried when I first received the scarf, it was one of the most thoughtful gifts I&#8217;ve ever gotten.</p>
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