9 Moons Ago

Today I was thinking of a funny thing that happened in Melbourne when Cameron and I were driving Ebony to a party one day. There were people on the roadway collecting money in buckets for what we thought was the Salvation Army. Cam handed the money to the man who walked up to the driver’s side window. He smiled at us and called out, “Thanks for saving the gay whales!” We stared at him blankly for a split second before he explained that “the kids love that one!”. He was a volunteer for the Victorian Association of Youth in Communities, which supports young teens who have social and family problems. We laughed long and hard over the one-liner, and I kept the flier in my pocket because it was such a funny memory.

These days I want to keep those funny and good memories in my pocket and do my best to stop rehashing the old broken and negative memories. It’s been a turbulent month as far as recovery goes, but I am getting there. I am happier than I have been in a long while and know how to cope with my emotions in a much healthier way. So far, so good! In fact, I wasn’t expecting to feel this good at all! It’s a most welcome and wonderful feeling.

To all of you reading this and supporting me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! ;-D
All My Love,
Amy

Just a note to friends and family who know how much I love the band R.E.M.: I got to call in to an online radio program and ask them a question on Monday night. (“What is the most exciting part of making the album?” To which came the snappy reply “Finishing it!” Haa.) You can find and hear the program here. (It’s in the 3rd segment of the R.E.M. link) I was super excited! YAY!:

rocklineradio.com replay

Still recovering from my slight relapse of mania. The nurses and doctors that I talked to said that as you get older, the episodes of mania can be more severe and take longer to recover from, but I feel lucky to have such a good support team of family and friends around me. Some people aren’t so lucky and they don’t get the help they deserve.
I’ve got a lot of emotional instability at times, but I can usually center myself pretty quickly. I don’t defeat too easily… and it takes quite a bit to bore me. So, I have a good imagination and I try to use it well each day. I am planning future artwork and writing when my vision is slightly impaired and my concentration is shot. I form the ideas and tuck them away for future use.
There are really really good and productive days, and then there are days where I feel like nothing is going right and I cry quite a bit. I don’t want to hide this from anyone, because I know that talking about it empowers other people in the same state.
I want to draw a self portrait today, but if I find I can’t, I always have an alternative: my camera! My camera is one of my lifelines, as is the music I listen to daily. So, in lieu of a drawing today, I’ll give you a photo. (When I get the self portrait done, I’ll post that, too.)

Even if you don’t celebrate it, happy Spring, solstice, happy party time! I’m doing really well and hop(e) that you are too!