Forgiveness

Forgiving yourself is life's greatest challenge.

Name:
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida, United States

Adopted, only child...need I say more? That has a whole set of sterotypes right there!

Saturday, February 10, 2007

A Good Day

I don't know if it was simply the fact my anti-depressant has finally kicked in or what, but I was in an abnormally fantastic mood yesterday. If I wasn't so tired today, I would probably be in a great mood today too.

The week started off really well with a client of mine sending me a very sweet thank you card for the work I have done for them. It added that they knew how stressed out I've been at my job and to go have a spa day on them. Inside was a gift certificate to a spa. I started crying. That was such a perfectly timed and very unexpected surprise. I was floored. There were some rough patches this week but all in all, it was very positive. By Friday, I had such a "lack of concern" and was smiling and happy all day. People at work even noticed the lift in my mood.

So here is hoping to some better weeks ahead.

Off-Topic

I'm not normally given to posting off-topics, but this cracked me up!

Things we know because of TV
# If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises wearing their most revealing underwear.
# If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.
# All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a woman but only waist level on the man lying beside her.
# All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
# It's easy for anyone to land a plane, providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
# Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.
# The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building without difficulty.
# You're likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of you sweetheart back home.
# Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.
# The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.
# People of TV never finish their drinks.
# A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
# The chief of police is always black.
# When paying for a taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.
# If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.
# Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the fridge door and use that light instead.
# During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
# Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.
# Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.
# Wearing a singlet or stripping to the waist can make a man invulnerable to bullets.
# A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.
# If a killer is lurking in your house, it's easy to find him. Just relax and run a bath - even if it's the middle of the afternoon.
# Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.
# Although in the 20th century it is possible to fire weapons at an object out of visual range, people of the 23rd century will have lost this technology.
# All single women have a cat.
# Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.
# Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
# One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one.
# Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be closely investigated.
# If a phone line is broken, communication can be restored by frantically beating the cradle and saying, "Hello?, Hello?"
# Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.
# It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.
# During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.
# When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
# Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.
# Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.
# When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.
# Action heroes never face charges for manslaughter or criminal damage despite laying entire cities to waste.
# No matter how badly a spaceship is attacked, its internal gravity system is never damaged.
# If there is a deranged killer on the loose, this will coincide with a thunderstorm that has brought down all the power and phone lines in the vicinity.
# You can always find a chain saw whenever you're likely to need one.
# Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
# Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth birthday.
# Many musical instruments - especially wind instruments and accordions - can be played without moving the fingers.
# All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.
# It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.
# Guns are like disposable razors - if you run out of bullets, just throw the gun away. You can always buy a new one.
# Make-up can safely be worn to bed without smudging.
# A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
# If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

Monday, February 05, 2007

A Song

I wanted to paste the lyrics of a song by Sarah McLachlan. It "spoke" to me.

"Perfect Girl" from Afterglow

Am I faithful, am I strong, am I good enough to belong
In your reverie a perfect girl
Your vision of romance is cruel and all along I played the fool
All your expectations bury me

[Chorus]
Don't worry you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
But don't forgo know that you're loved no matter what
And everything will come around in time

I own my insecurities I try to own my destiny
That I can make or break it if I choose
But you take my words and twist them 'round
Til I'm the one who brings you down
Make me feel like I'm the one to blame for all of this...

[Chorus]
Don't worry you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
But don't forgo know that you're loved no matter what
And everything will come around in time

You need everybody with you on your side
Know that I am here for you but I hope in time
You'll find yourself alright alone
You'll find yourself with open arms
You'll find yourself you'll find yourself in time

The riot in my heart decides to keep me open and alive
I have to take myself away from you
'Cause I can't compete I can't deny there's nothing that I didn't try
How did I go wrong in loving you

[Chorus]
Don't worry you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
But don't forgo know that you're loved no matter what
And everything will come around in time

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Drugs and Such

Well, I finally found an anti-depressant that doesn't give me any side effects...Wellbutrin. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch. I don't even know I'm taking anything. I've actually talked to several people that have had good results on this particular drug. I've read it takes people anywhere from 2 weeks - 6 weeks to notice a difference in their mood. Guess we will see.

I was having a conversation with a friend about ADD. His wife was convinced he was ADD. She had done all sorts of research on adult ADD and was sure he needed to go on Ritalin so she and "others" could tolerate his energy more. In that scenario, a drug fix was absolutely ill-advised. This person had a very high quality of life, had a good job, several friends and energy to spare. He was not hurting himself as a result of this alleged ADD. The drug would have worked to fundamentally change who he was for someone else.

While I am still not a fan of taking an anti-depressant, here was my rationale. I have caused my body and mind irrepairable harm. I hurt myself physically as a result of my depression and perfectinism. I have lost interest in many parts of my life. I am distracted and performing way below my abilities at work. I still need counseling. I still need to force myself to socialize. I still need to find ways of promoting a healthier mind-body connection. However, I have severe mental roadblocks that hopefully Wellbutrin can help me cross so I can begin to want to take care of myself. Right now, that's not a natural tendency.

I learned the other week that upon further review of my echocardiogram, the doctor was not happy with the way one of my heart valves was operating. I was literally purging my way to heart failure. Even though the doctor assured me that, at this point, it was not serious or beyond repair, it was still absolutely devestating to hear. I am 26 years old!!! I shouldn't have any issues with my heart. At this point, the doctors are hoping that given enough time and not placing additional stress on my heart with throwing up, that it will repair itself. I am hoping too.