The Why.

Thanks for joining me.

I have a friend who has dedicated much of his time to spreading awareness about mental health. If you live in NZ, you might know who he is; he has made many a public spectacle. He was on my case to write a piece about the battle with severe depression I experienced between the ages of 18-22.  Because he thought it could help people.  Actually, I have a few people (lovingly) on my case to write about all sorts of things, because it’s a gift I can use to do good in the world… We all have one of those. It’s just that I have two full-time jobs (the corporate paid one/the unpaid parenting one), and writing requires time and energy. But I want to give the world my time and energy via what I write, so I’ve created this blog to make it easy for me to do so when the urge strikes me.

I write for people to have ‘me too’ moments. Light-bulb moments. I write to relate and be related to. I write both truth and fiction, and sometimes I mix the two, because they are one and the same.  I write long pieces and short poems. I don’t force myself to write, or it will be boring. You will only ever get the best out of me. 

Writing is a shared experience – it’s telepathy; you see what I see; we both feel how characters feel – first me, then you.  I write about people and relationships, I write about hope in hard times. I write out pain; I write in happy. I write real. Read me, I dare you.

Anyway. Back to the request to write that piece about depression. It took a while,  because I had to be in the right mood to delve so deep into past hurt.  The piece below – Is It A Sign? was written in 2014, based on a bad day/combination of bad days, circa 2001. But it’s a day many people have, every day.  I’m sharing it now because… Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade…. Because your friend, my friend, our family. My goal in writing it was to help depressed people feel less alone, and to help non-depressed people, who are dealing with depressed people, be more understanding, patient and forgiving. When I read it, I am reminded of 2 things:

1. There are people among us who, every day, are struggling to function; often their pain is in plain view, and we are too busy/preoccupied to see the severity of their predicament, even if we care about them. 
2. The positive impact of small kindnesses cannot be underestimated. A loving word, a simple gesture. When I read this, it reminds me that I should call someone I haven’t spoken to for a while, instead of just thinking about it.

Let me know what you think about when you read it. I hope it helps someone.