Dear Erin,
We only crossed paths for a short while, always at work, and only for the blink of an eye. You were there one day, gone the next. Inquiries as to your where-a-bouts met vague explanations; dealing with health issues, needing some personal time, taking care of family matters. Not my place to press the issue – I backed off, yet you never left my mind.
I doubt you understand how gracious and beautiful you are. I say this because even though I know nothing about your life, I was able to read your eyes like an open book. I had those same eyes many years ago; eyes that gave away any attempt to feel “normal”, eyes pleading for something they couldn’t define. I recognized your pain, stoic attempts to pretend life was under control.
I don’t know why you’re so sad, but know you where damaged along the way. For what it’s worth – damaged people are the most interesting people I know. People who are able to show compassion, view the world slightly off centre, and accept unconventional points of view. Without even knowing it, you demonstrated these things over and over again.
Wherever you are; know that it’s OK to be damaged, let down and disillusioned. Understand you are not defined by the past, and deserve a future. Whatever sorrow holds you down, also makes you shine. I doubt you comprehend the impact you have on those around you. Your spirit, kindness, empathy, and compassion rise above bottled bruises. I don’t know if you’ll ever read this, but it’s my way of telling you how special you are.
Really a fine piece of writing.>KB
Thank you, that means a lot.
Reblogged this on The Mirror Obscura.
beautiful and deep. Eyes say more then words.
I hope than one day u will meet again She will have at least one person that can help. U .
Enjoy the weekend and keep the smile
MJ
Reblogged this on randomthoughts and commented:
Originally was going to post a shout out to my Democratic friends but, like this one too much to just let it go. Enjoy the words of wisdom from fellow blogger Notestoponder.
A thought for the Erin’s I’ve met. And yours.
“damaged people are the most interesting people I know”
Isn’t that the truth.
Beautiful piece.
Reblogged this on Life Unscripted and commented:
Too touching and beautiful to leave unsaid…
Peter, thank you for re-blogging this. I’m trying to catch my breath through the tears…strikes so close to home.
k-
It is so sad the way mental illness continues to be stigmatized. One beef I have with my profession, are the labels “mental health” and “mental illness. There is no such thing as a mentally healthy person. Sorry there isn’t. There are degrees of severity of mental illlness. Clients often say one of two things. Either “I am too ill to mentally ill to take your time, ” or I am not ill enough to bother you.”
For the first I always say, “Really?” Please bring me your mentally healthy friend or realtive. I have been waiting 27 years to meet one.”
You could see the light bulb go on as they realized they had no mentally healthy friend or relative.
My profession needs to stop pretending this is not so. If there is no N of mental health, then how can there be mentall illness? In order to differentiate an illness, there must health.
The whole profession needs to re-examine the disease model and replace it with concepts and terms that view mental suffering as a contiuum, where everyone, even the therapist, falls.
Getting of the soap box now…..
imho everyone is mentally ill, just to different degrees.
We’re all bat shit crazy to some degree or other. Thanks for the re-blog, it means a lot.
Nothing wrong with a soap box. I appreciate your passion, and the time you took to climb on that box. If you have time, I think you might also like these posts….
https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/recollections/
https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/growing-up/
https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/mothers-day-letter/
🙂
Very compassionate and understanding Val! xo
Ìf KB says it`s fine piece of writing, it is!
Reblogged this on notestoponder and commented:
Working at full throttle, demands of the Christmas season on my profession leave little time for pondering. As such, a reblog of Dear Erin.
Neatly and movingly done, Notes. I speak as an insider too.
🙂 Big hug
🙂
See Notes… I would have missed that one.
Very nice. *applauds*
🙂
Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner.
I wonder, is mental illness an illness? (How many people have lived with or are living silently with some form of mental illness?) To those of us who have experienced depression (mine certainly not as severe as others), we discover an opening to another world in its wake. A world not easily understood by others. The question becomes: Do we try to explore and examine our inner dimensions, and then try to explain it to the people around us?