When one suffers from a mental illness, especially depression and suicidal ideation, they often ponder the meaning both of and within their life. So often society confuses depression with sadness, which is an appropriate emotion. You are not depressed if your sports team loses – you are sad. Depression is actually a void – a total lack of emotion – so bleak and painful to contemplate that it can overwhelm, shut you down, and sometimes cause you to try to just end the pain.
I have suffered this for over 27 years, over which time I have ranged from actively suicidal to stable with medication to many points in between. My passion is travel – that is what lights up my eyes and I use it to help color in my future. Experiential travel lets me feel. Themed travel lets me learn. I have designed and sold custom travel for over 25 years and explored the world. Now I seek to help others develop their bucket list goals and then fulfill them. Let me help you color in your future dreams and fill your senses with the world around you.
In addition, I recently experienced a debilitating stroke. I did not let that stop me and I was booking travel from my hospital room. The magic was it destroyed the part of my brain that created the suicidal ideation so that’s gone, thank goodness! But that reminded me that we don’t know how long we have to actively explore. Though I don’t let a little thing like a walker stop me!
