When I Grow Up...No, For Real This Time

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I THINK I may have finally made it through my mid-life crisis and decided what I want to be when I grow up, again.

My mom just turned 64 years old, and she spent the happiest years of her adult life most recently as a corrections officer in a maximum security mens prison. No shit. I have NO idea why her book isn't more popular on Amazon, seeing as how obsessed America is with prison culture these days, except that maybe she needs to fire her publicist. I'll post the link to her reality-based novel "Razor Wire" in a bit, but right now let's get back to ME, goddamnit.

As some of you may know, I dropped out of the psychology program at the University of Phoenix last year, when I was just shy of getting my associates degree. I was two-thirds of the way done when I had a personal crisis that led to serious flare ups of my two mental disorders, which then ultimately caused my grand midlife crisis, hazzah! Meh, happens to the most awesome of us. My point, though, and Mom's ultimate point in all of this is that I clearly ain't done yet. I still have plenty left to give society, and since all the women in my family are celebrated late bloomers, it's time for me to get focused and get serious.

SO, honest thoughts and gut impressions here....what do you think of Karrie the probation officer, or possibly Karrie the court-ordered substance abuse counselor? Because I think it would be a fabulous fit. It would put me in a position to give REAL help to real people who, just like me, got trapped in the justice system when all they actually need is mental healthcare and/or treatment for addictions. PLUS, the best part of all? I could do it all without the strain of being Ms. Nicey Nice all the fucking time! Lol. I mean, let's be real. Being a proper therapist was NEVER in the cards for me, right? ;-)

Now please, read my Mom's book. Cuz she could totally kick your ass if she wanted to. <3

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17790265-razor-wire

Reality Check: Mental Illness

                                     Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My name is Karrie and I suffer from bipolar 2 and borderline personality disorder. I am tired of having to hide in shame, so I will share this same post, twice a day, until I see some acknowledgement of the ignorance and fear surrounding mental illness and depression in America.

Nothing significant has changed since the tragic suicide of Robin Williams; there has been no productive public discourse or meaningful attempts to raise awareness. People like me- who struggle on a daily basis just to find reasons to not give up- are the ones who get hurt the most by society's refusal to treat mental illness as a medical condition. It is NOT merely a personal weakness or character flaw, and it is not a dirty secret or "private matter" that we should be made to feel ashamed of.

It's also not some flavor of the week cause. A staggering one in three people will face some form of serious depression at least once in their lifetime, and a lot of them won't survive it. It's an ongoing problem, and it's been going on for far too long.

If you are ready to acknowledge this problem, and if you care about the people in your own life who are forced to suffer in silence, please share this status. Thank you.

A Reason To Keep Going

You know guys, when Robin Williams passed, I fell into a deep and dark depression, because I knew EXACTLY why he did it. I still do.

Since then I've realized that if nothing else, I want to see more sunsets and moonrises. I want to have more close encounters with deer, I want to swim in unseasonably warm waters, and goddamnit, I want to see one more U2 show. Not from the cheap seats either, lol.

Even if Bono is 75 and needs a walker to get out onstage, I REFUSE to leave this stinking rock until I've seen one more show! So here's to Bono, and the sun and moon and deer and leaves, but most of all, here's to ME. Blessed Be.

U2 - All I Want Is You & Where The Streets Have No Name (Live From Slane Castle)