Depression Era: Not Just History

Depression: Veiled life and reality

The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression. - Gary Larson 


I'm writing this right before I go hide under the covers and yearn for sleep to make me forget --- at least for a few hours.


You see I'm in a Depression Era right now. No food lines here. Just a long line of sadness, emptiness and a void, I'm unable to fill. 


Soup lines have become pharma lines -- just so I can find the right and healthy regime to make me feel like myself again. 


Depression/Anxiety ...  without a doubt is the most destructive force in the mind and spirit's nature. I was fine and going along without a glitch and then BAM -- I've turned into a zombie -- not wanting to go anywhere .. do anything .. be close to anyone ... and this has wreaked havoc in countless ways of my life. From getting up in the morning, to working, to even seeking out a cuddle from my husband. I'm a loner.


I feel like one of those guys sitting on the curb -- feeling hopeless.


I tell my husband if I have to live this way for the rest of my life -- I can't imagine doing this.


Depression runs in our family. I just happen to be one of the one's who is really affected by it ... suddenly!


I look to hope. That's all I have ... and sometimes even that's fleeting ... moments only. 


Let's strive for hope -- even if it starts as a mustard seed. Let's desperately find joy in our lives.


You're not alone, my friend. Take your depression seriously. Find help. Talk. If it takes drugs ... take them! Admit to it ... because a life lived with purpose is the greatest of all joys!

Simply Sacred Steps: 

• Keep on keepin' on!
• Get up in the morning. Shower. Dress -- even if its for a few hours
• Sit outside ... even for a breath of fresh spring air
• Try (and I don't want to discount the debilitating nature of depression) and do something ... one thing ... and be proud of that one thing
• Pray for a miracle. I have experienced this firsthand. This time, I think The Lord is making me work a bit harder
• Look for natural alternatives (some will work -- others just don't) I've experienced mostly they "don't"

If your depression keeps you from going out and doing right now ... Its OK.  How about listening to this beautiful duet by Sarah McLachan and Josh Groban ... then get a pot of soul warming soup bubbling. Its actually a U.S. Depression Era recipe. 

Simply Put and Love to Each of You, Jeanne

Cream of Carrot Soup

Another versatile Depression Era Recipe

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP

2 cups diced carrots
2 cups water
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fat
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt

Cook the carrots in the water until tender. Melt the fat, add dry ingredients, add gradually the 1 cup water in which the carrots were cooked and the milk. When at boiling point, serve with a little grated raw carrot sprinkled over top of soup. Any vegetable, raw or cooked, may be used in the same way. (cauliflower, cabbage, peas, turnips, etc)