Tag: mental-health
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Which Direction Leads Home
Once, a long time ago, I had a friend. He was someone who I knew didn’t agree with me on, well, pretty much everything, including politics. He called me an idiot for believing the way I did, and it was people like me who made it harder for people like him to give away money,…
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A Life in Common
Love looks like staying. You choose not to say the thing that hurts because today? It’s not the right day. You choose patience, telling yourself that giving out grace is best. But like it or not, a marriage, or even a church, often ends long before the final, resolute goodbye. There’s no shouting. It doesn’t…
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Say It Out Loud
Healthy relationships start when we learn to say what we actually need instead of hoping others will figure it out.
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“You Are a Symbol of Resilience and Strength”
A man loses his son, mother-in-law, dog, job, and marriage in 2022. A fortune cookie’s message about resilience initially stings but eventually guides his transformation through storytelling.
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What’s It Worth?
In 2023, the opioid crisis claimed over 100,000 lives. That’s one family without a mom or dad, a brother or sister, a niece or nephew, or a close friend, fiancé, husband, or wife. One hundred thousand people dead. What’s the cost of leaving countless families in mourning, dealing with the aftermath of trauma and grief?…
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Geoff & Tony – Next-Door Neighbors Part II
I met Geoff through a mutual friend and coworker, John Kirby. Kirby and Geoff were friends back in the day went they both lived in the Mission District of San Francisco. Both men had good jobs, John well on his way to being a professional rock musician, and Geoff working as a manager at Zim’s,…
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“I don’t need a title. I’m comfortable with who I am.” Wes Rethath, Jr.
Wes Rethath, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Tasty Tots Incorporated, a nonprofit geared toward feeding hungry families in Kansas, made this statement during a mandatory employee meeting. I made a mistake sitting closer to the back of the venue instead of putting myself in the middle. The agenda for today’s meeting was…
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Isolation
Four years ago, the world isolated itself from connecting socially with people fearing a nefarious new virus, COVID-19. Eyes were what you saw in public. If worn correctly, another person’s eyes sit above the mask, covering their nose and mouth. Unless you dared expose yourself and your loved ones to the dreaded coronavirus. One hard…
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You Don’t Know How It Feels
Walk a mile in their shoes. See what it feels like. So, first of all, eww, no. That’s gross! Second of all, what about all the athlete’s foot possibilities? Yuck! It’s like putting on bowling shoes – even though I know they spray them with disinfectant. It’s just, well, your feet. (The sarcasm is strong…
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Paying Attention to Your Direct Reports: Mental Health Awareness Month
Struggling. It’s an understatement to use that term at work. Not that anyone would notice or care. Certainly not those working for a large organization that supports mental health. It’s ironic to think the same people who advocate for others to get help with their own mental health fail to recognize it in their own…
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Grieving
Thirteen years old. You aren’t old enough to drive a car. But this is the age where the seeds of freedom are being planted. You aren’t old enough to understand abstract thinking but are slowly moving there. Everything is black and white – kind of. Emotions are high, all over the map. Everything in your…
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Why do I have to say sorry?
“Tamara.” Ms. Geri never raised her voice. “You owe her an apology.” “Do not!” The four-year-old girl shouted at her pre-K teacher. “She started it. Not me. She owes me an a-po-golly. Why do I have to say sorry when I’m not?” Tamara pulled on the braid her mom put in her hair. “I…
