dark nights with stars on top

Dear 18637,

My heart goes out to you! I'm in the same boat (hey, pass the bucket, my turn to bail), and there are no fast easy answers or if there are I hope someone sends some my way.

Sure, my life's real dark in here, like living in a concrete box with just a few chinks in top for light and air. So I have 1,000 tricks for squeezing some meaning and grace and dignity and humor out of every day. Nothing, NO depression, NO despair, is gonna stop me, no matter how long or how little I have left to live!!!

What are the tricks in your bag?

I ask because major Depression like yours is a long-term road. I would insist that you run to get professional help, but apparently you already have help so let's you and me buckle down to the campfire and see what we can do.

My guess is that 1. there are many cleansing and detox things you can do, and 2. meanwhile while those are helping, you'll have to develop a style for coping with this.

My style includes excellent books by and about people who have gone through Very Hard Things and have brought back treasures and gifts. If you want a reading list, I'll compile one for you but I don't want to sound preachy or pushy.

What about that great husband and kids? Is there one thing you can do right now today to care for them and also to enjoy them and let in caring from them? Maybe it's something practical, maybe something totally silly.

My day is so hard today that I am hanging on to... the color of the last leaves out the window. Looking at them and saying Wow, those yellow leaves are SO yellow. In a few days they'll be gone, but they will be one very appreciated bunch o' leaves.

What's your spiritual contemplation practice? I don't care if that means walking the dog or knitting or planting petunias. But what are the things that you are already doing?

What is your buried dream? Every unhappy person has one.

What is your untold grief? Every unhappy person has one of those as well.

One first step is to talk a lot to us right here. Let those thoughts out into the air and light!

Rooting for you here and now,
Auntie Autumn Tweet