Country Living Southern Style II

It is hard to put into words what it is like to have a mental breakdown. Not only is it hard to try and describe what it is like, but it is hard to talk about because you fear how people are going to react to you. So many mentally ill people have to deal with the stigma attached to the words mental illness, and end up being treated like they have leprosy. While it isn’t easy to tell my story, I feel compelled to do so.  First of all, writing is therapy for me, but I also feel like it will let others like me know that they are not alone. Perhaps, it may even help family and friends understand what it is like to live inside the mind of someone who is mentally ill, and what it is like to have a breakdown. I have been hospitalized a total of three times due to mental breakdowns.  When I was much younger, they were called nervous breakdowns, I prefer the newer term. As for what it is like, I will do my best to try and explain. Believe me, if you have never suffered from one, you...

Picture this: I am in the kitchen making lunch for my grandson and I when he pipes up and says: "Nana, I don't want to be fat." Me: "That's good! If you eat right and exercise, you won't be." Luke: Nana, you're fat." Me: "I know. Nana is trying to lose weight." Luke: "NOOOOO, Nana! I like you the way you are! You're so warm and cozy!~ I then commenced to explain to him that fat is not a nice word and that overweight sounds a lot nicer. Don't think it sunk in lol. Ah, life through the eyes of a child.   This kid cracks me up. Little stinker. So hard to believe he is three already! Where does time go?

I’ve loved you since I was 17.  You were my first true love and the first one I gave myself to.  A heart just doesn’t forget that. We had planned to grow old and gray together, but God had another plan for me. In all the years we were apart, I never stopped thinking about you, dreaming about you, wondering about you; wondering if you were happy, if you were married, and whether or not you had children. I thought we really had something. In retrospect, all I see now is pain. We were sweethearts during my senior year. You broke into a local bar with a friend and got probation for that right before the school year started then, I came out of class one day, and a friend told me you had been arrested for stealing a classmate’s motorcycle. To this day, we never talked about why you did that. Because you were already on probation, you got sentenced to a juvenile detention center.  Being away from you was pure hell, but you only got time added onto what you had already been ...

My favorite photographer is Ansel Adams My favorite artist is Thomas Kincaid My favorite colors are green and yellow My favorite drink in the Winter is hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream My favorite drink in summer is lemonade My favorite season is Autumn My least favorite season is Summer My favorite things to photograph are old barns, clouds, weathered buildings, flowers, birds, etc. My favorite scent is apple cinnamon My favorite flowers are red roses

Watched 50 Shades of Grey on Bravo last week. Had heard all the hype so I really wasn't ever planning on watching it since a lot of it was negative. Not really into the BDSM lifestyle. If it floats your boat though, go for it! I am quite sure the version I saw on Bravo was a lot milder than what was shown at the theaters. I could handle it all except for the brutal ending. She was right to leave! Not a big fan of the movie. So, that's my take on it.

One of the bridesmaids from my wedding almost 40 years ago found me on FB. I hadn’t seen her since her daughter was a baby.  Her daughter is 38 years old now. My friend sent me a friend request. I was so happy to hear from her. She asked me out to lunch. We went on December 5th, and had a great time catching up. During our conversation, I told her about my mental illness. She said, “I wasn’t going to say anything about this.  I just wanted to spend time with you and catch up, but since you brought it up, I have something to share with you.” She started telling me about her daughter and how bad off she after the birth of her second child due to hormonal changes, and how her daughter hid it from both her husband and her. Her daughter had a friend who sold Plexus and had begged her for a whole year to try the products.  She finally gave in.  She has been on the products now since July, and she says they have changed her life. She has lost 30 pounds sinc...