Wow. Another month down. 😮
Here in Calgary, our April ‘showers’ were colder, heavier, and whiter than normal but the temperatures remained relatively mild. I mean, it is spring, isn’t it? Or at least, it’s supposed to be.
In any case, the white stuff came, piled up a bit, melted, came again, melted, and is now hopefully gone to make way for the May ‘flowers.’ Mind you, those tender little stems wiggling up through the dirt, may want to wait a week or two.
April has been busy, somewhat hectic, definitely rewarding and depressive at the same time.
The good stuff: I got a new tattoo, the Peer-to-Peer program for the SMU is going really well; both Derek and I have met so many interesting individuals and have made a positive impact on their stays. Just having someone who’s been there, done that, knows what it’s like, and can relate, empathize, commiserate, and even laugh over the positive and negative is uplifting. And….
I attempted, for the first time, the National Poetry Writing Month and succeeded at producing 30 poems, actually 31 😊, in 30 days! I’m always surprised by the creative process, how my mind works, yes it does sometimes, where the ideas come from, and what spurs the creativity to throw a bunch of words on a screen and call it poetry. This was a great warm-up for the annual poetry marathon in June. My creative juices are flowing, breaking the icy layer they were trapped under.
The only storm that dampened my spirits, was a seizure on April 24th.  4 days shy of that unreachable 2 month mark I can’t seem to break. It’s so very frustrating!
I guess I should be pleased of the longer periods between events, especially when two years ago, they’d averaged roughly one every two weeks. But it’s a target I’m shooting for and one I’d like to meet. Maybe some day.
So. Today is the first of May, another month of new, and not so new, activities to keep me from stressing about when the next seizure may happen, and which type.
Starting tomorrow, I will again be involved as cofacilitator for that wonderful program called Uplift. This time, I’m partnering with Andrea Sereda of the Epilepsy Association of Calgary. I’m so looking forward to it. 🙂
I just love this program. I love sharing, supporting, assisting others in learning the skills to manage their depression through a mix of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness techniques.
Regardless of utilizing many of those techniques to manage my own depression and anxiety, I still learn so much from the groups, which only enhances what I already know.
May promises to be a calmer, warmer, gentler month. Soon I’ll be greeting the dawn on my balcony, cup of coffee in hand, book, journal, beside me. A lovely way to start any day.
Who knows, maybe I’ll continue the ‘write a poem a day’, or maybe I’ll write another book, a Battle of The Minds Act II, or publish a book of poetry, or just sit back and watch the clouds float by.
Enjoy the day, have a wonderful week, and as always,
Take care and stay safe.
Hugs,