Living in Fog

Morning, originally uploaded by mysza831.

I love living here, where the outside matches my inside.
I love how fog makes everything quiet and still.
That's just the way I like my life to be:

Quiet.


Still.

A thank you to mysza831 for sharing this photo on flickr.

When you have 20 minutes to do so, I urge you to watch this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert. I wept through it. It speaks so eloquently to the connection between creativity and mental illness. I am confident that you will be moved by it, too.

A thank you to Timothy K Hamilton for sharing this picture on flickr, and to Chris Hathaway for bringing the TED talk to my attention.

And You?

Heavy snow - 1, originally uploaded by randihausken.

I'm doing what I can today, to fight off feeling like this.

The caption on this picture reads,
"Heavy snow and poor light today, too."

I appreciate randihausken for sharing this photograph on flickr. I doubt that it ever crossed her mind that this picture would be deemed suitable for display on a mental illness blog.

But, there it is.

Perhaps you, too, feel bent over and burdened and chilled this day. May you have whatever you need to help you to shake off the snow and stand tall again, despite the cold and dimness which presently engulf you.

Simplify

Winter - simplified :), originally uploaded by randihausken.

"In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives."

--Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Ensign, November 2008, pg 10.

A thank you to randihausken for sharing this photo on flickr.

Proceed with Caution

Warning:

Depression may be exacerbated by too much time outside the home.
Do not attempt to go grocery shopping two days in a row, even when accompanied by supportive family members.
Pushing limits even slightly may result in dizziness and anxiety upon entering a crowded chapel on the Sabbath.
If this reaction occurs, expect to be unable to function well the following day.

The Invisibility of Some Disabilities

Am I awful for envying those whose disabilities are visible? The sorts of folks represented in this picture are the only people who qualify for a seat on a bus in Bergen. I would have to stand. But then again, I would never board a public bus, let alone one so crowded that there were not even enough seats for all the passengers.

While others were jostling along viewing the delights of a beautiful city, I would be thankful to be safe at home, dealing as best I could with my invisible disability.

A thank you to Jill for sharing this photograph on flickr.

"The Blessing of the Blackberry Bush"

“The Saints should always remember that God sees not as man sees; that he does not willingly afflict his children, and that if he requires them to endure present privation and trial, it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing, it is that he may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by-and-by.”

--Elder George Q. Cannon, as cited in the story linked below.

Those who know me best will not be surprised when I confess that
this story resonated deeply with me when I read it in this month's Ensign magazine.

It is always encouraging for me to remember the purposefulness of thorns.

See more from Greg Newbold, the artist who illustrated the story for the Ensign, here.