Poignant

I read The Bloggess regularly, and recently she posted about "coming out" with mental illness.  She shared a story of a close friend who lost her husband to mental illness, and she linked to a blogger, Michael Kimber, who encourages us to speak out.  Here's his video.



I used to speak about my illnesses to anyone who asked, because I understood the need for educating people about it.  What I didn't understand until I got a bit older is that just because they ask doesn't mean they really want to know.  As I became a teacher, I declared myself fully mentally healthy to the public and kept the Klonopin by the bedside.  I couldn't reveal my struggles for fear of never working again.

Now is the time.  If he can do it, if they can do it, if Jenny the Bloggess can do it, so can I.

Someone once said to me that I was the strongest person they knew.  I said, "I don't feel strong. Not at all."  He said, "You're so used to fighting to be strong, you don't even realize you do it." I'll never forget that moment.