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The “Poke” Mandates

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So I have been toiling with this post for months. What to say, how to convey my position to actually make people stop and listen, and not immediately go into attack mode and label me an anti-vaxxer. Actually, that might be a great place to start. Let me make one thing painfully clear, I AM NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER! I am current on all of my vaccines, including some most people may not have. I’m in the medical profession so I get my flu shot every year, have my titers checked, etc. I am also a Crohn’s patient. I have lived with this disease for 18 years. I’ve been on all the therapy drugs, immunosuppressants, steroids, you name it, we’ve tried it. I am fortunate that my Crohn’s falls on the mild side. So after years of personal research, different drug’s and basically just trying to figure out what the Hell worked, I was able to figure out that my diet and lifestyle were the biggest factors. So I figured out what foods were triggers, (it’s a lot of fun ones unfortunately) eliminated alcohol and caffeine (I know!) I’ve been able to control my disease with diet and lifestyle for 10 years. I am not immune-compromised. I will on occasion have a mild flare, (I mean it doesn’t go away.) I’ve just learned how to navigate the autoimmune waters. Now if your wondering why I’m telling you all of this, it’s for a reason. After my first bowel resection, the dietitian came in for a consult post op, and the first thing I asked her for was a copy of a Crohn’s diet. She looked at me and said “there isn’t one.” I looked at her bewildered as I lay there with a 5 inch incision from my bowels being resected due to a perforation, packed with dressing, granulating closed on it’s own. She then followed up with “there isn’t one, because everyone is different!” (Hold on to this statement for later readers.) “You’ll need to figure out what you can tolerate.” After she explained it, it did make sense, what worked for me, might not work for the next person with completely different DNA and anatomy. I mean not one of us humans is exactly the same.

Fast forward to today. September 2021, the time in history that will be remembered for COVID and vaccine MANDATES, and politicians making speeches with “for the greater good.” snuck in there, Which is generally always prefaced with “sacrifices must be made!”(Name one time in history where that political justification turned out good.) Corporations mandating vaccines or face termination, local city governments passing mandates to be vaccinated to socialize in public spaces. It’s like reading Orwell. People have been so indoctrinated with fear, and this perfect political weapon has been yielded with split hair precision, it’s literally divided families! Are you fucking kidding me! Dividing lifelong relationships and families…It’s got to stop!

So remember in that first paragraph above where I mentioned “everyone is different.” Well that’s not fairytale conjecture, that is scientific fact. Let me explain a bit why I’m so personally against mandates. First and foremost, it’s the vaccine itself. There just simply isn’t enough long term effect study data period. Second, for my patient population, Crohn’s, there is 0 study data! This little fact is by the actual admission of the FDA, CDC and pharmaceutical companies. There is no data for me to make a safe, confident medical decision to take the vaccine. We were left out of the initial studies. Let me say that again, THERE IS ZERO DATA. I don’t know how my body will react. It could be mild, it could be violent with devastating results. Anyone up for Russian Roulette? I am not alone, there are thousands of people in my shoes. People who are being mandated out of their livelihoods because they are scared to play Russian Roulette. They’re not anti-vaxxers, they, like me, are scared, and there is no one to hold accountable should the unthinkable happen from the vaccine. I’m furious we are at this point in our society. How did we get here?

My intention is not to make this political. But if you are of the mindset that people who are unvaccinated are selfish, you are part of the problem. If you’ve uttered the words “I don’t know why they just don’t take the damn vaccine!” You to are part of the problem. Let me turn that table a bit, I think you are being selfish for expecting masses of people you know nothing about, stand in line to do something they are not comfortable with, put themselves at risk, just to extinguish your fears. Do you see how that works? It’s a vicious cycle.

I want you to stop for a second and remember “we are all not the same.” And what that really means. I want you to stop judging, and bullying people for trying to hold onto their civil liberties and decide what is best for their own well being and physical person. We have that right. (For now.) Don’t throw that away so easily. If we continue down these paths, with these mainstream and social media poisoned mindsets, we are truly very soon going to be living in 1984.

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Don’t judge, stop hating each other. The only people who are going to lose this war is us. Stop the mandates. Stop letting someone else in charge make you think that you are not smart enough to know what the right thing to do is for yourself, your family and your neighbor without being forced. Humanity deserves more credit than that.

Wash your hands.

M.

Fall Leaves

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We recently did a road trip from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole, WY. It’s been a bucket list thing for me to see the leaves change in The Tetons. Mother Nature did not disappoint. It was an amazing, beautiful trip. We discovered a little hidden gem called Alpine, WY and the Bridger Teton National Forest. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Bucket list check. Utah and Wyoming in October are a must see.

Mean Mom’s

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I read an article today, well, let’s face it, Covid times have me reading a lot of articles lately. But this one in particular hit home. With all the down time of empty nesting and quarantine, I tend to get “in my head” a bunch, like I’m sure a lot of us do lately. Sometimes that’s a dangerous place to spend too much time. Especially for those of us who have lead “colorful” lives. One of the recurring themes of self deprecation on a spin around the nucleus of my brain is parenting regret. Certainly I am not the only person who gets stuck on this particular track. It’s a doozy with many tentacles that sprawl out in so many directions. (Insert anxiety attack here.) I’m actually navigating one of these trips now. This one has me triggered pretty bad, so I’m actually writing this to center myself, help me focus, move on and frankly calm the F down!

You see, I never viewed myself as overly “maternal” I didn’t lose my shit when a baby walked into a room, or long for a family as soon as my ovaries awakened in adolescence. I mean I adore my children, but honestly I’m probably still Meh, about kids in general. I always secretly thought to myself during my child raising years, who in the Hell thought it would be a good idea to put me in charge of humans? I’m way to cynical and impatient for this. Having said this, I’m sure you can guess I was not a coddle mom. I wasn’t a fawn over them when they fell…I was the shake it off cause I told you not to do it in the first place, the I’m not taking you to the ER if you get hurt doing that, the I said NO, don’t ask me again! Yes I was a spanker, not a time out mom. Most of my child rearing years I was a single mom. (Divorced by my choice. That’s a whole other blog!) So I had to find the balance between nurture and fear…this is where the latent self doubt comes in. All the regret floods in at this weak spot. Was I present enough? Was I too hard on them, Have I completely ruined them emotionally and they don’t know it yet?

My kids are all successful and what seems well adjusted on the surface (I hope.) We have what I consider an amazing adult child parent relationship. (This was always important to me for reasons I won’t discuss.) They will tell me I was awesome and amazing and supportive. I never saw myself that way. I’m grateful they did. Still I wonder…

I was accused of being a mean mom, and picking on certain kids more than once in my parenting career. Now that they have their own families, (successfully navigating adulthood I might add.) I hope they see that parenting is hard. Some kids require a little bit of a stronger hand than others. It’s not that you don’t love them, you are harder on them because you do. Every parents ultimate goal is raise decent humans who meet their full potential in life. Sometimes that requires a Mean Mom.

So if you’re reading this and it hits home, drop me a little thumbs up of support, I could definitely use it right now. All of my “Meanie” moms (and dad’s) unite. Remember, we’re all just doing the best we can assembling these human units that came without the damn manual.

Stay mentally healthy and safe everyone.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Check on each other.

M. 😉

Enough.

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Covid-19, Quarantine and what not to do with gloves.

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Okay, it’s time. It’s time for me to weigh in on this lunacy known as Coronavirus. I’m not a doctor, I’m not an Epidemiologist, I am however, a CST, a Surgical Tech. No one knows more about infection control and cross contam than we do! I feel it’s time to do a little PSA and maybe clear up some myths that are running rampant out there. Hopefully, you will learn something. Buckle up, this is long.

First let me tell you why I’m qualified to throw this advice around. As a Scrub Tech. I create and maintain a sterile field for all surgical environments, (yes including you when you’re the patient) I have to be excellent at my job, there is absolutely no margin for error. If I am prepping your surgery, you want the best Aseptic Technique trained staff. Your health and well being depend on it. No, this isn’t me gloating, this is FACT! You see, I am trained to see things differently than most, even some doctors and nurses. I am trained to see everything and everyone as contaminated. And yes this makes everyday off duty life an absolute fun house of public ignorance is bliss. The average Joe honestly, doesn’t have a clue the harm they subject themselves to daily just with subpar hygiene…let alone a viral pandemic.

Having said all this, let’s talk PPE. Personal Protective Equipment.

GLOVES– Insert deep sigh here. As someone who teaches Hand Hygiene, this is the thing in all of this craziness that makes me cringe the most! Two words…Cross. Contamination!! Your gloves are not protecting you. Unless you have a box of them that you’re carrying around all day and are changing them after everything you touch in public, honestly, don’t bother. They are a false sense of security. But okay, I get it Walmart Karen, they make you feel like you’re doing SOMETHING right? So fine, wear your gloves if you must. But please remember these rules…DO NOT TOUCH your child, hair, face, cellphone, shirt, adjust your pants, tie your shoes, dig in your purse, touch your wallet, credit card, keys, and Jesus take the wheel, eat with them on! (I’ve witnessed this) Refer back to the two words CROSS CONTAMINATION! If you do any of the aforementioned things while still wearing said gloves, you have done yourself no good.

WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN

DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE

MASKS-The CDC has issued a statement for everyone to wear a mask in public. The only masks that are rated to effectively block droplets and particles are N-95, (95%) and only if worn properly. So here’s a little enlightenment. All healthcare workers are actually fit tested for the proper size N-95 that healthcare facilities are required to provide easy access to. The straps need to be placed and worn properly, they are extremely snug and not at all comfortable enough for the general public to walk around in to grocery shop. So, when I see Walmart Karen wearing one, and it’s covering everything but her eyes…yep, you guessed it, useless! Not to mention a waste of masks for people who really need them, frontline healthcare workers! Now let’s back up a minute to the whole CDC mask statement thing. Remember when I said that I was trained to see everything as contaminated? That’s basically what the CDC is saying in issuing that order. They are assuming everyone is contaminated if they are symptomatic or not, and the masks are to help control the possible ongoing contamination of surfaces and aerosol droplets from coughs and sneezing. (And breathing) so the masks are for the person next to you and behind you (6 feet hopefully) protection. They are not protecting you from breathing in anything. Masks are designed to be single use. If you are using handmade cloth masks, wash them daily.

Daily Decontam at Home- Okay, you’ve ventured out to get milk and eggs or formula and done a TP recon run, now I’m back home. Now what? First and foremost, SHOES STAY OUTSIDE! Shoes are gross without a full on pandemic. Why would you track everywhere you’ve been into your home? If you have an attached garage and won’t scar anyone for life by stripping down before entering, do it. If not, remove your street clothes ASAP and do not sit on your furniture. Shower (especially if you live with someone who is high risk)

Daily you should wipe down all touch points with a bleach solution. This includes door knobs, light switches, refrigerator, stove, microwave handles, pantry and cabinet doors, tables, counters, washer and dryer panels, anything with touch screens, toilet handles, faucets,etc. mop floors daily.

Quarantine-Do yourselves a favor, turn off social media for a while everyday and just do something else, read a book, go for a walk, anything. Your sanity is going to depend on it. Get your stats and info from the CDC. Those are the only numbers I trust. Stay home! That’s all I have to say about that.

Well I think that covers lesson one “The Basics” Please if any of my medical colleagues think of anything I’ve forgotten or have anything to add, please do and share.

I hope this was helpful.

I know these are crazy, scary, unprecedented, uncertain times. I promise we will all get through this together……(6 feet apart)

Stay healthy and safe everyone.

M.

PS. No Karen’s were harmed in making this blog! 😉😷

International Women’s Day.

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I have a confession to make. Up until today, and ironically enlightened by my husband (a dude) I always thought that IWD was just another pseudo, newly made up holiday in the inner sphere! It was today, 51 and 6 days old, that I actually researched the history. Turns out, it’s been a thing since 1908, around some of the Suffragette Movement, and officially deemed this day in March in 1977, as an International holiday. Needless to say, mind blown, and a little ashamed I haven’t been taking it serious this whole time in support of my sisterhood, and the strong, empowered, tenacious, Boss Ass Women who have fought the fight to prove one thing…WE’VE HAD THE POWER ALL ALONG! This I have always known! Pretty sure if I was born in the right decade, I totes would have been a Suffragette!

Our fight you see, I believe, has been to take it back, that frightening aura known as our power. From male dominated society, that out of fear (cause they sensed our power long ago) used the church, and culture, to ahem “keep us in our place” Thank goodness for rebellious queens. The ones who went against the grain, and endured the hardships, the arrests, the ridicule, the sacrifices for our collective future, and behold just a few generations later, look how far we’ve come. We have forced the very institutions who were instrumental in our oppression to evolve around us. We have forced evolution in barely more than a Century! How freaking powerful is that! We now have more females in leadership positions in government all over the world, and leading Fortune 500 companies than ever before in any time in history.

Man of the House…my ass! I guarantee you 90% of women run their households if they know it or not, or want to admit it. Trust me sista, if you’re reading this, your little Rome would crumble if you walked away more than 24 hours! So own it, YOU RUN YOUR EMPIRE! Be proud! We’ve earned it! Raise your daughters as strong, independent women, and my Boy Mom’s out there, raise your boys to be the men who respect a strong woman. No more of that “boys will be boys” crap! Now is our time, to continue to mold our future, and shatter those glass ceilings, we want equal pay, well guess what, I don’t foresee that being a struggle much longer, cause the ladies are large and in charge, and I guarantee are working on shooting that ceiling out first!

So in light of my enlightenment today, I assure you from now on I will celebrate International Women’s Day with a new vigor, I will shout it from the rooftops, I’ve marked all of my calendars, (it’s not on some, imagine that, still work to do ladies!)

We’re coming for you boys…#thefutureisfemale

M. ✊️👊💪🏻👑

School Supplies.

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It’s that time again. Back to School. This was always my favorite time of year for multiple reasons. No more bored kids at home eating their way to Narnia through the refrigerator, paying for summer camp, destroyed kitchen from aforementioned foraging, structure…and the annual school supply run. If you’re like me, you love school supplies. Brand new crayons, markers, folders, notebooks, backpacks. A new beginning to be shiny new and organized. And yes, there was always those obscure hard to find items on the list that were only obtainable at some specialty store like 3 days before school started. But it was all part of the excitement of the hunt.

Now that my girls are grown, and I’m an empty nester, I no longer have the satisfaction of school supply shopping. It makes me a little sad to walk past the section in the store and not load up on new crayons and pens. But I love seeing the joy of a big 4th grader picking out a new backpack and lunch kit with their mom. I mean, 4th grade is a big deal, Paw Patrol just won’t do anymore. Time to upgrade to Fortnight.

I actually found myself justifying a purchase of crayons, notebooks and sharpies the other day, you know, for when the grandkids come to visit. I may need an intervention.

But this morning I had an epiphany, I can buy some supplies and donate them to a school or church charity. Everyone wins, I get to scratch my school supply itch, and a child in need starts school ready to go. I know there are charities that do this, but what’s the fun in just hitting “click to donate”

So, if you’re an Empty Nester in the Houston area, and are longing for the days of school supply shopping. Please contact me. We’ll find some kids in need, and get to smell fresh crayons in the meantime.

M

The Empty Nester School Supply Society

Antelope Canyon

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So we finally did it! We hiked down into Antelope Canyon. This has been way high on the Bucket List for some time now. If this isn’t on yours, add it immediately!

There are a few things you should know however before you go.

YOU CANNOT HIKE THE CANYON WITHOUT A GUIDE! It is located on Navajo land, and they won’t allow access without one of the local tour companies that are located both at the canyon sites and in the town of Page. We did the lower canyon, the main tour companies for lower are, Dixie Ellis and Ken’s. You can book in advance (recommended) or try your luck and buy tickets on site. We used Dixie Ellis, and our tour guide was awesome!

Now, lighting and time of day are going to play a big role in the colors you’ll see down inside the canyon. 10:30am is usually prime time ( for those famous sun beam shots) and is usually booked, but nonetheless, it is truly amazing any time of day.

If you’re going anytime from May through Summer, it’s HOT. I mean it’s Arizona, it’s the desert. So this is what to expect…

Once you get to the site and check in, be prepared for lots, I can’t stress enough, LOTS of tour bus people. You’ll watch a ancient Navajo ceremonial dance, and then you’ll line up. Hopefully you won’t get stuck behind one of the large tour groups, because this can mean a 30-45 minute wait in the Arizona heat, waiting for everyone to slowly descend the stairs (some steep) into the canyon. There is also about a 150 yard walk in the sun and sand to get to the stairs themselves. Bring a bottle of water, oh and backpacks of any kind are not allowed, so forget that Camelpack.

Once you descend into the canyon, man oh man, breathtaking! So worth braving that unfortunate bathroom facilities experience!

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Bucket. List. Frigging. Check.

antelopelowercanyon.com

Techno Detoxing.

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I’ve given up Facebook! Wow! Just typing it feels empowering. Well, Let me slow down a bit, it’s like day 3! I’m not going to say this isn’t hard. It is. I don’t think it should be, I’m a grown ass woman with responsibilities but trust me, it is. If you’ve ever tried this, you understand what I’m talking about.

I mean, what did I do with my time 10 years ago? 10 YEARS! I’ve been a slave to this for that long. Saying that aloud is a little more sobering than I thought! But seriously, how did we manage without it? I mean there was the whole raising teenagers thing, and working ungodly hours at the hospital and maintaining a household. So how did I ever find the time in the first place right? I think it was gradual. At first, for like the first few years I didn’t even understand how it worked, so it was an every now and then thing that caused more frustration than it was worth. These were the “Facebook illiterate” years.

But then those crafty little techno hipsters at Facebook got wise to the struggles of the “Facebook challenged” and started making it easier to figure it out, Hell, they even started gearing it towards us! (Eye rolling the whole time I’m sure as they wrote the middle age algorithms) the next thing I knew, it was the first thing I did when I opened my eyes, my morning cigarette so to say! I had to have it. My excuse of course was it was “a way to stay in touch with family” or “share pictures” and it is good for those things. It’s helped me reunite with old friends, but really It feeds into our FOMO! A soapbox for shouting your opinions, (some people use this more than others and shouldn’t) and our voyeuristic tendencies as humans. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Unfortunately as technology makes leaps and bounds daily, there are darker sinister forces that use all of this to their benefit. Most of the pragmatic, sensible among us can see right through this and move along, unfortunately common sense doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden. This has become a little exhausting for me lately. So I decided to take a break.

This is what I’ve noticed in the past 3 days…

1. I had no idea how many times a day I picked up my phone to check it. It’s a lot.

2. I had no idea how difficult it would be to not have it, to just mindlessly scroll through.

3. I had no idea how much nonsense I chronicled about my day. Until you have nothing to post on.

4. This is the hardest. The FOMO. That doesn’t end with the teen years. I clearly still have it. Bad! I hate not being in the loop.

So this is where I am, Day 3. Is it hard? Yes. It really is an addiction. Is it the hardest thing I’ve had to do? NO. I think anyone can do it if they try. I’m not saying I’m giving it up forever. Just a brain break for a while. I think it’s good for us to technology detox occasionally. (I’ll check in on day 10!)

Besides, there’s always Pinterest! 😉

Happy Instagramming.

M.

The Mind Crisis.

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It’s taken me a few days to get the courage to write this post. This is a topic no one wants to discuss. But right now in the state of our society, we need to have this conversation more than ever. So I decided to open up and get as raw as possible.

A couple of days ago we lost another American Icon. Not to an accident, or Cancer or some other sudden undiagnosed illness, but to suicide. This one hits particularly close to home for me. Kate Spade was very close to my age, and this is on the heels of my own personal battle with severe anxiety/panic disorder and mild depression. I know the first thing we think when someone famous takes their own life, is “why.” They have it all. Like Robin Williams or Chris Cornell. How are they not happy? How did they get to this point. There was a time, when I would have been one of the people shaking my head. Sadly now, I understand why. Mental illness does not discriminate. No amount of money or success will protect you from it. Now don’t panic, I’m not suicidal. In fact, those people who know me, would shake their head in disbelief that I suffer with Mental health issues. From the outside, I’m kinda the intense, in your face, get shit done kinda girl. I am a Wonder Woman, a handle everything, Alpha female who can handle everything and is strong…until I’m not. I’ve been to the edge, and yes I understand how people can take their own lives.

You see, I didn’t know Kate Spade. I did and still do love her style and creativity, in fact on one of my first trips to NY, one of the first places I made a beeline for was her store in SoHo. I of course couldn’t afford anything (single mom) but It was still divine. But I don’t know what her daily struggle was, I don’t know what her triggers were, or what was the thing that pushed her over the edge. I wasn’t living her pain, but I can tell you, I have been living mine, so I will speak from my own experience.

For those of you who have been fortunate enough to never experience any form of mental health issue, first let me say, This is not something any of us can control! We can’t “shake it off” or “buck up” or “get it together ” or “just choose to be happy ” what you also may not realize is that there is pain. Physical, exhausting pain. But you still have to some how manage to function. Kate still ran her empire, Robin still made movies that made us laugh or cry, and Chris still made amazing music, I still work (occasionally) can entertain you with my wit and sarcasm, and run my empire (aka household). Meds can help, but only short term, it always breaks through, therapy will help, but it doesn’t take away the mental and physical exhaustion. You so desperately want to wake up feeling good and motivated and tackle the day, but then the anxiety, panic or depression creeps back in and takes over and you are overwhelmed. No matter how hard you try, it takes control of your day.

So I’ve decided to write this post, and really open up about my personal struggle and what a day for me is like. Hopefully, it will help someone relate, and maybe realize they are not alone, or need to be embarrassed, or think they are being weak. You’re not! Here goes…

First let me say, my anxiety/panic comes in spurts, usually after a health issue (mine is PTSD health related.) I have Crohns and have had a few emergency surgeries. My first panic attack was in 2003 after my diagnosis. I didn’t know it was a panic attack, I just felt like I was going to pass out all of a sudden and couldn’t breathe. I went to the doctor and was put on meds and was fine. After a few months, I got off of the meds, and didn’t experience another one until 2007. The latest episode started a few months ago. I’ve been pretty consistently sick for the past year. This one has been especially intense, and crippling. (Painful) I’m telling you this, so you understand most people with severe depression, fight it everyday their entire life. I have only endured it occasionally.

So back to a day in the life of me. I can wake up and will either feel okay, or slightly anxious. This can be, a headache, sweaty, nauseous, heart palpitations, dizziness, shaky, skin crawling, weakness, dry mouth, complete inability to concentrate or hold a conversation, and so on. I will take half of an anxiety pill, to calm down enough to be able to function and get dressed. I will either go to work, where it is a struggle because it is sensory overload, and the feeling of being trapped which is a huge trigger for me, or I’ll go run errands, because being in the house causes more anxiety so I have to get out. But then being away from home is overwhelming.

The basic act of going to the grocery is a chore. Say I need to get milk, we all know that is strategically placed all the way in the back of the store, for me this can trigger a panic attack because it’s too far away from the door, heart palpitations, sweating palms, can’t breathe will ensue. So I generally stick to smaller stores. FORGET the mall, long lines anywhere, lines that are cattle chutes, security at the airport is a nightmare, in fact airports and being trapped in a cramped plane, those are double med days.

I can literally be feeling okay one minute and be standing in line somewhere and my palms start to sweat. Other triggers for me are being stuck in traffic, going out to eat at restaurants, any sort of obligation, a meeting, a party, a function, etc, being in the middle of nowhere traveling, not having a hospital nearby, driving on a busy interstate, roads without emergency lanes…etc. I’m sure you see the pattern here. Oh did I mention we love to travel, and all of these things are required to do so. (Double med days) oh and frankly not having meds is a huge trigger. Gotta love that one.

This is all exhausting. I mean, painfully exhausting. You just want it to end, you’re praying for the mental breakdown to come, that will maybe cleanse you in some way and make it stop. But the tears never seem to come. It’s because it’s usually not about tears. That would be to easy, you generally cry over specific reasons, but there’s nothing specific or reasonable about any of this.

So that’s me right now. My husband is trying to be supportive and doing a great job. I know it’s hard for him, because he is not someone who has ever experienced this, and is really a shake it off kind of guy. But I’ve been trying to educate him, and he has been doing his own research and is starting to understand things a little clearer. Like this is a real thing. Not just someone not being able “to handle things”

If you are reading this and you’re rolling your eyes, thinking “Whatever, grow a pair!” Just stop! You’re being an asshole. I know, I used to be you! You need to be understanding and compassionate and patient and concerned and most of all kind. Remember it could be you one day.

If you’re reading this and are relating to any of it, then I urge you to talk about it. Don’t be ashamed or afraid of being judged. Talk to someone, take the meds, do the therapy, Hell, talk to me if you need to. I would tell you to be strong, but I already know you are…you got out of bed this morning.

Lastly, Mental Health awareness needs more than a month of awareness! Yes I’m looking at you May! It needs our awareness everyday. It is the catalyst for so much of the horrendous acts happening in our world today. We can’t brush it off or ignore it because it doesn’t personally affect us anymore.

So you see, standing at the edge has made me understand, how people can step off of it. No matter how much they have going for them, or how much money they have. None of it matters when your soul is in pain. For those souls who have lost their battle, I pray they have finally found peace, and that their loved ones can find peace knowing they are no longer in pain.

RIP Kate.

M.

#katespade

#mentalhealthawareness