Let's Talk

Today is Let's Talk about mental illness day. So I will have my say here.   We still have far to go when it comes to taking mental illnesses seriously and there are still many out there ,some right in our own families or circles of friends who still carry the attitude that one who struggles mentally should be able to just get a grip or suck things up . Sure ,there are things that happen every day or often which we don't like and it is a matter of sucking something up and keep on going forward but then there are the life happenings that completely bowl us over, change our lives in an extreme and very painful way that no amount of grip getting or sucking up can ever touch the way we have been broken.   There are still those who associate having trouble moving ahead with weakness,almost a character flaw perhaps. I feel sorry for those people and know at any time something may happen which is going to blow their ignorance right out of the water. I just hope for their sakes the same friends or family members who have not received genuine emotional support from them will not turn themselves away when the rubber hits the road.  

I have been down the road of mental illness for  along time .I have heard firsthand comments regarding how others would never stoop to taking medication or going to a therapist .And I have also seen where those same people have been dealt a hard blow and because of their pride they have not sought help other than through a liquor bottle, partying, bad-mouthing others ,isolating themselves, blaming others ,or cursing God .So tell me : who is really the stronger person ?The one who admits they need help or the one who won't ?    

MENTAL ILLNESS is difficult because it can't always be seen unless a person is looking really bad .Mental illness doesn't require a cast ,a pacemaker, there's no limping around or going in a wheelchair ,using crutches etc.Probably anyone who met up with me would never have known how
much I was struggling  and still struggle and will struggle the rest of my life. I have no difficulty letting others know I have low times and now I recognize the signs and invite them to stay as I work through them and not try to pretend they're not there and push to bury them. But I understand totally and sadly how some are so hesitant to let the cat out of the Mental Illness Bag as what might the boss think ,what might the community think, what will my friends think is a justified question. Families must make sure their children know it's ok ,in fact they must be encouraged to talk about what's troubling them . They must see their parents coping with serious issues in a healthy way and not through ways of avoidance. Friends must be a safe place for friends to share . Employers must made it clear to employes that mental health is just as important an issue as physical  health. Communities must put in place resources for mental health for their citizens.     We must not feel we have to keep it a secret . The time has come to dig our heads out of the sand and open our eyes and hearts to those we suspect or know are struggling with putting one foot ahead of each other every day .     The Muse

A Blizzard in the Blink of an Eye

Well,what a difference a few seconds make. Out I went in the calm after the snow to clean off the car and move it closer to the trail road which only took a very few minutes and then all of a sudden and I really do mean all of a sudden a blizzard blew up and the dogs and I were engulfed in a squall. Amazing !  And since we were already covered in wet snow I decided to go for  a jaunt now and get it over with while I could still see the road in front of us. Don't these boys enjoy romping in the snow!  They had a blast and  it must have been an alright workout as they are now down for the count .Can't see a thing out over the Strait, just a wall of white. So perhaps what we received during the night wasn't the snowfall at all and this is it.  With this wind that has kicked up I hope there are not very many people out navigating the roads.    The Muse