Suburban Adventure: To Those I Cherish The Most- My Friends

Suburban Adventure: To Those I Cherish The Most- My Friends: " Friendship is not something that is learned in school, and if you have not learned it- You have learned Nothing At All. " ...

You're Getting Divorced?

"Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage." Ambrose Bicke

I ran into a friend of mine this weekend who I had not seen in quite some time. It came to a slight surprise to me to learn that she is going through a divorce. There are certain couples who just seem right together, this to me was one of those couples. I however know that when the doors are shut, we never really know whether a couple is happy or not.  You may think you know but you truly do not. I spent some time with her as I could tell that she was craving someone who understood the dark and empty place that she was currently living in. 

http://www.divorce-lawyer-source.com/faq/emotional/who-initiates-divorce-men-or-women.html

Divorce is incredibly taxing, stressful and disturbing on every level. It makes no difference if you want it, your spouse wants it or you both agree to it.

Bings, beeps and moves

A friend of  mine is on his way up to Boston and Im incredibly jealous. Im still homesick after all these years and will plan a trip there before Im trapped in the forest for another winter.

I have been procrastinating today and feel that modern technology is zapping a great deal of my attention.  Whoever turned me onto Words With Friends deserves to be tarred and feathered. This game brings out the competitive aspect of my personality and thus far- Im not winning.  I hear my phone deliver a little jazzy sound and I know it's my play- it's a little high for me- I can't lie.  I typically dislike games so Im not quite sure why this little number has grabbed my attention.  http://www.wordswithfriends.com   My kids have to beg me to play games and now that I think of it… do not ask me much these days. I guess the negativity wore them down.  I may be the only person on this universe that has never played charades and Im okay with that.

Depression is a curse

Ernest Hemingway, Billy Joel, Edgar Allen Poe, Harrison Ford, J.K. Rowling, Mike Wallace, Vincent Van Gogh, Winston Churchill, Ashley Judd, Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln and the list goes on and on and on.
All of the above famous celebrities have suffered with depression at one time or another.  They suffered, their families suffered, their friend suffered and their souls suffered.  Having personally experienced what I refer to as a curse- I know what it feels like.  Im grateful that it did not grace me with it's ugliness for long as I found it completely unbearable.

I read a book called the Unholy Ghost which is a series of writings by people who have experienced depression. Jane Kenyon wrote the following that I would like to share with you as I believe it is a true depiction of what it feels like to experience depression.

                  Credo

Pharmaceutical wonders are at work
but I believe only in this moment of well-being. Unholy ghost,
you are certain to come again.
Coarse, mean, you'll put your feet
on the coffee table, lean back,
and turn me into someone who can't
take the trouble to speak; someone
who can't sleep, or who does nothing
but sleep; can't read, or call
for an appointment for help.
There is nothing I can do
against your coming.
When I awake, I am still with thee."

Depression changes your personality. It takes a fun-loving and adventurous soul who is interested and engaged in life and turns them into a person who has no interest in anything.  It creates an inability to enjoy anything or anyone. It takes your capability  to function as a productive individual away and then laughs at your failure.  I would rather live without my right arm then suffer with depression my entire life and Im not joking.

 Depression does not discriminate- it caters to the rich and to the poor.  It caters to the talented and flourishing as well as the not so talented. As you can see from the people above it does not matter whether you are successful or not. It does not care if you have a plan for great achievement. It will halt you and stop you from thriving and it will be your biggest stumbling block regardless of your intellect or internal fortitude. Regardless of your desire to overcome it as it enjoys lingering.

I have been visiting a friend of mine who is in the hospital. She is a beautiful woman who is married to a very successful man. She has children and she  grew up in a privileged family who was cultured, sophisticated and well-traveled. From the outside most people would be jealous of all of the trappings that her life has afforded her. If they knew her internal struggles- they would not wish them on their greatest enemy.

Her depression lingers over her like the grim reaper. It affects her ability to enjoy life and to enjoy all of the "things" that she is so blessed to have. Depression has taken over her soul and her heart. She fights it hourly-daily- by the minute and by the second. It has a hold on her that does not want to let go.  Therapy and medication have assisted her on her journey but she was born with a fate that had already been predetermined. She must fight for her own survival but the fight is against her own self.