Steve Jobs Isn't The Only One Who Likes Turtlenecks

First of all – thanks to everyone for the kind words after Monday’s post.  Some of the comments left here and emailed/texted to me really tugged at my heartstrings.  You made me realize just how many people out there are affected by similar feelings and how much we can help each other.  If you’re out there and you’re feeling similar things, please don’t feel like you have to go through it alone or like you should be ashamed of what you’re feeling. 

One of my favorite phrases to remember is this: Depression Lies. 

Depression will tell you that people will laugh at you and not believe you.  Depression will tell you that people will judge you, that people will only see you as crazy if you tell them about it.  Depression will tell you that people don’t love you or care about you.  Depression will tell you that no one can understand what you’re feeling.  

Those are all lies.  

People still love you, people will understand.  People will help you.  Please, trust in the people in your life.

I should have known of course, but I was surprised just how much talking about it in such a public way really helped me to get over that hump in the road.  I’m not saying you have to do the same thing – but if you’re feeling this way, please talk to someone.  Hearing from others and even just re-reading what I had written helped me to see how harsh I was being on myself.  I’m not back to feeling great, but I’m definitely at a much brighter place than I was Sunday or Monday. 

I love you guys.

In other news:

I set up a Twitter account for the blog!  Please follow me @TheGrowUpPlan.  I'll post funny things.  Or not.  But I'll tweet stuff.  It'll be cool.  Let me know in the comments section if I should follow you too!

And there's more news:

I’m attending my first local Writer’s Guild meeting next Friday! 

My mom has been trying to talk me into it for years and I’ve always resisted.  Those people are stuck-up, pretentious, jerkfaces – is what I always told her.  I didn’t want to spend time with those people.  Oh yeah, let’s sit around and tell each other how awesome we are because we like writing.

It turns out the only stuck-up pretentious jerkface in the room is me.  Or, at least, that’s what I’m guessing.  (And I know Francesca is sitting there thinking: Exactly.  Like how two weeks ago you were going on and on about your “Ahhhh-low” plants while the rest of us just call it “Al-oh”.  Douche.) Gods, I hope I don’t show up on Friday and they all end up being exactly who I fear they are…

But I’m excited! 

I’m finally giving this writing thing a real, honest try.  (Thanks to the encouragement of my family, some close friends and some acquaintances who surprised me by throwing their heartfelt encouragement my way.) I feel like I finally understand the point of going to these things.  Hopefully the people there will help me to increase the effectiveness of my writing and will help to keep me motivated. 

Gotta hang out with people who like doing what you like doing if you hope to get better at doing what you like doing ;-)

I’m also hoping to form some good connections with other people in the area who might want to join up to do some projects or maybe point me in the right direction to expand my options for writing.

Who knows?  Not me, that’s for sure. 

Maybe we’ll all just sit around smoking extra-long cigarettes (oh god how I want to…), wearing berets, and snapping our praise as people wearing black turtlenecks read poetry about the existential experience they had at the gas station when they locked eyes with the beautiful boy at the pump next to them and the crushing pain they felt when he drove off. 

Shit.  That’s probably going to happen.

Anyone have a beret I can borrow?

Hugkiss,

Annie Jay