Chilling thought

Papers in the roadside
Tell of suffering and greed
Here today, forgot tomorrow
Ooh, here besides the news
Of holy war and holy need
Ours is just a little sorrowed talk

Duran Duran –“Ordinary World”

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

It was Tuesday mid-morning. I was still at home because my office was closed until noon due to the severe weather. We were laying on the bed under the covers because we could and because it was cold. The bright sunshine lighting the room was deceiving.

“Hmm,” was my only reply because “I want to jump out the window” isn’t something you casually drop into conversation.

I thought that part of my brain had atrophied. Its attempts to talk me into this ridiculous window-jumping notion were feeble at best. Like an unused muscle, that part of my psyche was too weak to convince me this was a good idea. The rational, healthy part of my brain kicked that part’s ass. Come on, the distance from window to ground would at most break a limb. The subzero temps would do more damage to me than the fall.

More importantly, I have reasons to live. I know I cannot be replaced. The chilling thought was fleeting.

******

Later that day, Emily of The Waiting Blog tweeted a link to the Blog for Mental Health 2014 Project. I clicked the link she had shared, read the post, and thought, “That’s interesting. Glad that Emily is going to do that.”

The more I thought about it, though, the more I began to think that I shouldn’t rely on other people to take the pledge and write about mental health. I thought about the moment that same morning when darkness wanted to get the best of me. I thought back to last year when I wrote a few posts about my previous experiences with depression. It was hard to share those stories, but I was glad that I did. I believe it was good not only for my own mental health, but for that of others.

That’s why I decided to take the pledge to participate in the Blog for Mental Health 2014 Project. I may not write a lot posts about mental health this year, but I believe in the value of this project enough to commit to it.

Here is the pledge, based on the words from the project founder’s initial call to action in 2012:

I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2014 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.

You’ll see the badge over on the right side of the blog for the rest of the year. I encourage you to click the badge (or the image below) to visit the blogs of others who will contribute to the project.

Do you have your own stories about struggles with mental health? Please consider helping others by sharing them and taking the pledge yourself. Together, we can fight the chilling thoughts.

I’m linking this to the yeah write #144 moonshine grid to increase awareness of this project.