Good Question

Someone posted a responce to my last blog and asked if depression was really a part of me because I battle with it. She thought not.

First, I am not at all offended by the statement. I am always open to new ideas and I like to hear what people really think. Thank you for posting.

While I understand what you are saying I still say it is a part of me. I understand your point of view though. Depression is considered an illness and as such I needn't say its a part of me. I get that. But I still claim it just like I do my physical features, my intellectual capabilities and all of the rest of it.

Depression has authored a great deal of what I do and not all of it is bad. I do some of my best writting when I am depressed. I have greater compassion for others because I know no matter how much it appears someone has that they still can be fighting hard to stay afloat. It is a part of me. Just like being short (5'1") impatient and creative are all parts of me. I own it all. The good and the bad.

Being bi-polar was not all bad for dad. He was a black man born in 1919 and grew to be all of 5'2' tall to an impovrished family in the hills of West Virginia. he had every reason in the world not to make it. The manic part of his illness drove him to be an unstoppable bulldog. It was part of what made him so successful despite of all the disadvantages he had. He had a beautiful mind. He was bi-polar.

The thing is you are who you are - I make no judgments about it. Just because you don't enjoy a particular part of yourself doesn't mean it's any less you. Just because it is designated as an illness it is nonetheless a part of me. I own all my weaknesses outright and outloud. (in fact I listed them all in my book). On my good days, my failures keep me amused. I laugh ALOT.

Peace.