depression
On Death
I’m sure there are many of us who while experiencing a life threatening ordeal question our feelings about death. The Lady of Shalott by Henry Peach Robinson (1830-1901) (labeled for reuse) I remember my fear of dying during my first few months after my brain bleeds. Each seizure scared me—would this one kill me? Every … Read more
Bereft
A memory slammed into me and with it overwhelming despair as I felt my first night in inpatient rehab. I felt desperately lonely, as if I was in the middle of a desolate landscape with no one else in sight. Mum had left for the hotel earlier, shortly after Cindy arrived for a visit. And … Read more
Rockslide
Rocks tumbling around me, rolling down the steep slope, smashing everything in their path, uprooting trees, pulverizing boulders. Except for one—it stands strong, solid, rocks and stones bouncing off to its sides. An island in the midst of the chaos of the rock slide. I scramble towards it, running, leaping; stones stinging and scraping bare … Read more
Disease
Jack shifted in his seat. “He died of suicide.” His turn of phrase struck me. Why not say that he committed suicide, or that he killed himself? “You make it sound as if it’s a disease.” Jack nodded. “It is a disease.” He would know—he has bipolar disorder, and all too frequently battles the urge … Read more