Last week I was released from the psychiatric ward in our local hospital. I spent a total of 8 days in the loony bin. Since then, I’ve been thinking more than usual about authority, control, and community. And the whole thing is fresh enough in my mind that I still find myself comparing life now with life then.
Today is one of those gorgeous pre-summer days where there aren’t any bugs, the wind is just cool enough, and it feels like everyone in the city has taken to the streets. There’s a general feeling of hustle and bustle. While in the hospital, I was allowed out on accompanied day passes, but aside from that, I was confined inside the hospital in the short-stay unit. Walking down the street to the library, chatting with a woman sitting out on the sidewalk in her lawn chair, stopping to examine a poster about some upcoming event… all of this feels like a luxury.
The past few months have been life-changing for me. I’ve been through the fire and back, and it feels like now is an auspicious time to start sharing my feelings more publicly. 'And so we all fall down' is born!
My intention in my writings is, above all else, to write with honesty. What I’ll write about will vary, but my goal is to provide a space for myself to think through some of the ideas that float around in the ether of my mind. To catch them and examine them up close. My hope is to begin to bare a little more of my soul to the world, and to hold space for others who wish to do the same.
