I went on a hike with a friend of mine. We hiked to a beautiful mountain top that overlooked Brattleboro. It being mid November the air was cool. The sun peaked out through moderate cloud cover periodically throughout our hike. It was a truly lovely adventure.
The way up the mountain gave me time to reflect on how I'm living. I thought about my writing and hoped this hike would be a source of inspiration. Meanwhile I was enjoying the company and conversation of my friend. He and I play chess at a local coffee shop quite often.
It was just as I began thinking that the hike might not yield the inspiration I hoped it would. I saw a massive boulder partially imbedded in the earth. Growing from this boulder was a tree. It was my source of inspiration. It's presence on the rock was striking. It was healthy and it grew out of the most inhospitable circumstances. This tree reminded me of how persistent life can be.
A mental illness is no different from that rock. It is not often you see trees growing out of large rocks as I did today. It is also not often we hear about people who are living with a mental illness and are doing well. When people or trees triumph and live under difficult circumstances they have a quality about them that is unique and wonderful. They inspire.
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