July 2001 President's Message

July President’s Message by Hannah Fairchild

Hello everyone:

It’s summertime! This is the time of year that most of us remember as the end of school and the beginning of long, sunshine-filled days of play. I can still recall the total relief I felt when school would end. It didn’t matter what I hadn’t finished or that my best wasn’t always good enough. It was over. Done. I’d start from scratch again in the fall.

Now, it seems that our work never has an end. The struggles of living with mental illness just go on and on: stigma and loneliness, confusion and doubt, money, medications and doctors, client/family rights and the mental health system. Wouldn’t it feel great for these struggles to be truly over? We wouldn’t mind working on some new challenges in the fall, right? How great it’d be to hear someone say, “Hey! You go rest and relax for awhile! Go for a romp!”

Well, since our struggles are ongoing and there will be many hills, plateaus, and valleys ahead, maybe we’d better learn to pace ourselves. We can find comfort and strength from the many who travel alongside us, each on their own difficult path. And we, ourselves can be the ones who say, “laugh and take care,” and to remind each other to honor our limitations.

For the sake of our health, our relationships and our spirits, we’ll need to create margin in our lives. We require open spaces in our thoughts and our hearts, so that we can be refilled with that which lifts, nourishes and restores our soul. What brings you peace and rest? What brings you joy? Has it been so long since you’ve felt sweet relief that you can’t even remember how you sighed?

Maybe we can start with summer…and lying on a blanket, on a lawn or maybe the beach…..dozing, or reading, or writing in a journal or to a true blue friend. Maybe we can start with a stroll outside in the summer evening sunshine, walking for ice cream to help the hot day cool down. Maybe we can let the grass wake the bare soles of our feet, send an urgent message to our brains through the telegraph wires that shiver up our spines: We’re human. And we can only do what we can do.

Peace,

Hannah Fairchild

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