Dear LG,

Some things were easy for you, while many other children have struggled. You learned how to read when you were two years old, and you do not remember a time when you did not know how to read. 

You do not remember struggling. On the first day of school, you were the only kid in your kindergarten class who could already read.

That is…read more

I was so angry
When you cold turkeyed my meds
I felt in crisis

When I first met you
I thought you’d disregard me
But you surprised me

You listened to me
Unlike the other doctors
The ones who pushed meds

You explained reasons
You discontinued my meds
You quelled my anger

You sat while I cried
And explained why I was at
The psych hospital

You o…read more

For most of my life
Depression held on to me
With its iron grip

Depression fooled me
It charmed the hell out of me
By that, I mean choked

It got me thinking
Everything in my life sucked
I stayed in a hole

For those three decades
The cesspool of depression
Washing over me

My life felt hopeless
I would have rather been dead
Than survive this…read more

Dear Unsealers,

When I was married, my ex-wife and I fought a lot.

We were married for eight years, together for thirteen.

You would think we would learn to get along by then.

We tried couples therapy for almost three years, to no avail.

It came to me one day.

I never felt right with her.

I never felt as if I could tell her anything.

I…read more

Dear Unsealers,

“Fake it until you make it.”

I think this motto is disingenuous to the human experience. Here is a modified version which I live by:

“Do until you become.”

Why do I prefer this motto over faking it?

The first motto implies that you are trying to be something you are not.

My preferred motto sounds as if you are steppin…read more

Dear World,

It started when I was in the psych hospital in August 2020 for a severe mixed manic-depressive episode.

I was sitting at the table, coloring pictures with the friends I had made at the hospital.

I looked up and saw the psychiatrist who was seeing me during my two-week stay. Except this time, I was looking at him… differently. He s…read more

Dear Friends Simply Hanging On,

I had trouble thinking about a dream or goal I had that came true that I would feel good writing to you about.

I graduated from university with highest honors but I went through a hell to achieve that goal that I would rather have no one else repeat.

I had a beautiful wedding that I was proud of because I…read more