A few days
ago I got to hang out with my friend who has a blog down yonder, and I wrote
about him before here. He lives in Arkansas and on his way to spend his New
Year’s weekend in Catalina he asked if I would meet up and maybe give him a
tour of my hometown. He’s a friend I met
on one of the Ave Maria Cruises and we have kept in touch speaking every few
months- mostly about our mental disability struggles. As someone who suffers from bipolar disorder it's really
nice having someone to occasionally talk to, who struggles with similar issues. Thus, our friendship has been like a long
distance support group (smile)… Many people who meet me don’t realize that I am
officially diagnosed and on treatment for bipolar disorder because for the most part I
am really stable. I have been at my job
for many years, I have a very active social life, my mood swings are very
subtle- and thanks to the meds the high and lows are for the most part
contained. Every couple of months I do
have a week where I am so tired that I can only do the bare minimum and I find myself needing a lot of rest.
Yet, for the most part thanks to the medication, the support I get from
everyone around me and my faith I lead a normal life. My friend deals with a little more than I do,
he’s a blend of different mental disabilities and his struggles are way bigger
than mine. So, he usually reaches out
when he’s feeling overwhelmed with life. I admire him because through all his challenges he’s living his life
the best way he can. Like me he has a
job, family and friends who support him, and his faith. He’s also leading a formal group on mental
illness awareness designing quirky videos to raise awareness. Our relationship sometimes works like sponsors
in AA where we talk about our mental challenges and provide support.
When he
suggested we meet I felt a duty to be hospitable because we have become friends
who every few months catch up and offer support. I was a little reluctant to write this post
because I don’t want to get misinterpreted our relationship is one of friendship. Sometimes people who suffer from Asperger’s
are not easily understood and too quickly rejected; growing up and being an
outcast myself, I tend to be more open to people that require a little
patience. Thus, our relationship is one
of friendship and support.
He asked me
to give him a tour of my hometown, so after working half day I picked him at
the airport and took him to our diocese, the Christ Cathedral. He was so pleased with my selection since the
grounds are extremely beautiful and like a good tourist he took many pictures
while I was his guide. I told him the
story of how both the cathedral and I had a Catholic conversion. At his suggestion we headed to Trader Sam’s
Enchanted Tiki Bar in Downtown Disney where we had a fun drink and a snack. Then, I took him home to meet my dog because
he had requested if possible to meet my sidekick. Dollar was happy to meet him, though because
we were pressed on time, disappointed when we couldn’t walk him. Then I took him to my favorite restaurant in
Long Beach before dropping him off at the Catalina Ferry Terminal.
Hanging out
with him as does talking to him always makes me feel so thankful, because we
are two of the lucky ones. Though are
struggles are real we try our best to lead a good life. I think all of us need people like that in
our lives who show us (through example) that challenges must be confronted –
that our weaknesses can make us people of great character, that God’s “power is
made perfect in our weakness.”
No comments:
Post a Comment