Thank you Jim. That was a very warm comment. I think I wrote this is 2013 or 4.

I see something rare in you, Christine. I don’t know what I’d call it. It is true, you do have talent and looks. But talent and looks are as common as sand… no, it’s much more than that. It’s that certain undefinable quality which cannot be taught or acquired. It is seeded at birth and has the power to make even the most powerful men feel uncommonly awkward in its presence. This “gift”, for lack of a better word, is enormous in it’s scope and powerful in its ability to help one succeed, but the price you must pay is to be fragile and easily scarred. For the few people like you, as time passes, all the negative things they hide so well create little cracks that scar their spirit; until one day, the cracks snap and the scars become too obvious to bare…this is depression.

I went through many years of depression. At first I thought is was karma repaying me for all those lies and unkind deeds. But this thought was a lie in itself; it wasn’t karma; it was the totality of life. It only took the effect of one final event to shatter all of those cracks and break me. The fact that it would happen was a certainty; we all have a bridge too far, and eventually we all come to it only to realize we simply can’t find the strength to cross…that is, until we do.

You wrote this in 2009. Over the years you have slowly, and often painfully I’m sure, found enough strength to begin rebuilding that bridge. The cracks will always be there, and will be added to. The scars will never go away…this is good. I like my scars. They are mine, I own them, The scars you carry are not the deep furrows of someone who just happened to pass through life, they are great monuments to someone who truly lived. Embrace them, they are you.

Remember; eagles don’t fly in flocks. Sometimes they must fly alone; but they are always eagles.

Finally, I know, respect, and enjoy Grrrl Traveler. Now, for the first time, I think I’m getting a feel for who Christine Ka’aloa is. Thank you for that.

yeahhhh 😀

Wishing you the best. You are amazing. Please keep up your wonderful efforts.

Just know that you do have a group of online cheerleaders that will support you no matter your decision.

Now to have mine support not traveling full time, putting the blog on the backburner, and attempting to find a job that pays more than $15/hr with a film degree. 😉

You can do it!

You have taken a very big and courageous first step, talking about it. Now you need to get professional help, you can start with a Doctor and get a recommendation to the next level.

I found this site…..

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression

“There is no one proven way that people recover from depression. However, there is a range of effective treatments and health professionals who can help people on the road to recovery.”

Everyone seems to have an amazing life now days with the social media explosion, but it is only a snapshot of a moment in time and behind the posted photos and adventurous videos, life goes on.

We all know that money is required to live and a job is essential for this, we can easily go through the motions but we also need love and companionship, a home, that comfortable silence that only comes with close family and friends.

I truly wish you all the best, fileeep!