Mental

"Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul."  ~Pythagoras~  Those who know me, know I believe that animals are just as much a part of our lives as children are. They are living creatures we can bond with and nurture and provide us with endless joy and support. In 2006 , I earned the Animals Care Specialist Certificate from PDCI (now Ashworth College).  All my life, animals have been both a responsibility and a source of comfort and healing for me.   Currently I have a 7 year old female brown tabby named Savannah.  She is my emotional support animal and diabetic alert cat.  I've had her for over 6 years of her life.  The way she came to me is a story I think is worth telling. While I lived in Tucson, Arizona, I began going through a patch of deep depression.  I had left behind all my cats and my dog had been given to his previous owner because the stairs were getting too much for him..  My lovely partner said she woul...

"I know where I want to go, that's up to me I might not be there yet, you know,  but I will be There's always something in the way if you let it stop you" ~Knocked Out~  by Delta Goodrem There are days I have enough energy and focus to fly to the moon but there are other days that just getting out of bed or sitting up to take medication uses all I have and leaves a deficit.  I have recurring/chronic Major Depressive Disorder, moderate to severe.  This is the diagnosis that lead to my reliance on social security.  Sometimes I struggle just to get out of bed. Other times I actively want to die, not that I want to commit suicide, but I don't want to live and don't feel invested in life.  It makes it really difficult to care about seemingly simple things like cooking, cleaning (especially), and bathing.  I appear pretty together, with the exception of my almost constant wearing of bandannas to hide unwashed hair, when I am outside of my apartme...

I've been working through mental health issues for a long time. I have often been left on my own to sort through it all or bullied because of them.  In 2015 I decided to rejoin the workforce after a long time on Social Security benefits.  I was terrified but I knew I could no longer exist on the small wage the government paid me.  I was actually hired to two positions.  One at fast food and one with a nonprofit organization that works to educate, prevent, and aid in domestic violence situations.  Once trained by the non profit, I began working.  Quickly, my 20 hours a week became more like 30-40.  It was thrilling and exhausting.  Then, after 10 months with the organization, I was terminated.  It was a massive blow to me as the other areas of my life had also been falling apart.  Work was my happy place and I counted on that to be stable. My co-workers and bosses assured me that this was not a failure.  I had done a good job a...