Brightness

Today I reached out to nature for comfort as my being continued to absorb the loss of Robin Williams.  And not just his loss, but the countless others who lose themselves in the crevices of their minds.  Oddly, I had mentioned a couple days ago that perhaps we needed Emotional Critical Care units just as we have Urgent Care units scattered around our communities.

Would it make a difference if we were able to stop at CVS to pick up toothpaste but impulsively slip into a care unit for our psyches.

Churches would seem to fill this void but the soulful need versus the emotional need...is it the same?  The respectable buildings that hold God's people are intimidating to those of us who are unchurched.  But a need is there and perhaps if these buildings became beacons for suffering folk, emergency rooms for Emotional Critical Care, they might be the answer for those who are wandering lost in their sadness and lost in their minds.

Today, I lay on the sand beside the ocean drinking in the brightness  of our beautiful world.  I mourned for Robin's children.  I mourned for his future grandchildren who would never meet him and all of those who loved him.  I see the R.I.P. notices and yet, sadly, I wonder if his spirit can find rest.  Leaving this world in such pain...is it possible for a violent end to free a pained soul?

Brightness.  Light versus dark.  Surrounding oneself with watchful loved ones and choosing to seek help and yet, darkness can still win.

Choose the light.  Choose the brightness.

Robin Williams: Lost Laughs

It's the first few hours of reaction that leave us numb.  The moment of finding out that we lost someone who affected us more than we imagined is shocking.  Our familiarity with their presence is so ingrained that processing the information is too much to bear.

He's gone.  No matter the sentiments of his legacy living on with his recorded entertainment, he is gone.

Humor is the coping mechanism tool for the sunny set.  Anger is the tool for the shadowy set.  Depression is the outcome when one can't find the sweet spot between light and dark and depression is exposed more and more often for this baby boomer set.

Despite the research and current medications, depressive symptoms in our society are epidemic.

How can a genius such as Robin Williams fall prey to its insidious allure?  Where is the threshold of pain for the rest of us then?  In our nation, suicide ranks 10th as a cause of death while homicide ranks 16th.  Suicidology

Shock.  Numbness.  How numb was Robin when he made his decision to leave?  Why aren't we treating each other for our loss of a reason to live as much as we might for all the other diseases that plague us.

Lost Laughs