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Little steps over a wide chasm
Sep. 13th, 2012 08:54 pmThe thought for the day over on the TWLOHA main page is community.
That, above all else, is what I am trying to create. It isn't a safety net I am after, but an existing knowledge that there are people out there, real people, who suffer through very real depression and anxiety and a multitude of other mental and emotional problems, and within those folks are those of us who desperately want to lend a hand. I am only one voice but I am going to shout as loud as I can that I am here, and I am willing to listen. To talk. To go get a cup of coffee.
But we all have to get used to making that first move. We have to be willing to reach out.
I would never have believed something as initially intangible as a primarily online community could have resulted in such a magnificent clan of friends- but I have gathered them close over the years. I have made the treks to meet them, and have had them come meet me. It is brilliant and scary and wonderful and it has gone a long way into making me who I am now. Everyone has been so supportive of me through the years, through all the little and the big things, and I do what I can when and where I can. But none of this would have happened if I hadn't said that first hello, or responded to that first email/message.
If you are still trying to get over that persistant and persistantly insidious thought that there is something wrong with you for being depressed, don't think of it as looking for help.
It is reaching out for a friend. Plain and simple.
Since I started blogging this week I have had folks peeking out from corners of the internet, folks I have not heard from in a long time, or even people I have only 'met' in passing. Conversations have happened. And it is magnificent and beautiful and I appreciate every one of you. It takes a damn bit of courage to make that first move. I waited until my back was more or less to the wall before trying to make changes in my life. I was going to lose things I loved very much, from my partner to my friends to my job. I watched my sister wait too long, and there is nothing I can do for her. My friends. My willingness to reach out doesn't come from being overly brave.
It comes very much from desperately wanting to make a difference. Something has to give before we all do. Knowing there are folks out there who have your back, even casually, in that cup of coffee every now and then sort of way, helps so damn much.
So. Community. It seemed like such a ridiculously simple idea when I sat down to write this post. But, for someone who considers themself a writer, it sure took a lot of rambling and wandering to get around to the point. You are all my friends and I love you dearly. Drop me a line sometime, yeah?
That, above all else, is what I am trying to create. It isn't a safety net I am after, but an existing knowledge that there are people out there, real people, who suffer through very real depression and anxiety and a multitude of other mental and emotional problems, and within those folks are those of us who desperately want to lend a hand. I am only one voice but I am going to shout as loud as I can that I am here, and I am willing to listen. To talk. To go get a cup of coffee.
But we all have to get used to making that first move. We have to be willing to reach out.
I would never have believed something as initially intangible as a primarily online community could have resulted in such a magnificent clan of friends- but I have gathered them close over the years. I have made the treks to meet them, and have had them come meet me. It is brilliant and scary and wonderful and it has gone a long way into making me who I am now. Everyone has been so supportive of me through the years, through all the little and the big things, and I do what I can when and where I can. But none of this would have happened if I hadn't said that first hello, or responded to that first email/message.
If you are still trying to get over that persistant and persistantly insidious thought that there is something wrong with you for being depressed, don't think of it as looking for help.
It is reaching out for a friend. Plain and simple.
Since I started blogging this week I have had folks peeking out from corners of the internet, folks I have not heard from in a long time, or even people I have only 'met' in passing. Conversations have happened. And it is magnificent and beautiful and I appreciate every one of you. It takes a damn bit of courage to make that first move. I waited until my back was more or less to the wall before trying to make changes in my life. I was going to lose things I loved very much, from my partner to my friends to my job. I watched my sister wait too long, and there is nothing I can do for her. My friends. My willingness to reach out doesn't come from being overly brave.
It comes very much from desperately wanting to make a difference. Something has to give before we all do. Knowing there are folks out there who have your back, even casually, in that cup of coffee every now and then sort of way, helps so damn much.
So. Community. It seemed like such a ridiculously simple idea when I sat down to write this post. But, for someone who considers themself a writer, it sure took a lot of rambling and wandering to get around to the point. You are all my friends and I love you dearly. Drop me a line sometime, yeah?
