There’s something wonderful about a large group of friends you’ve known for a while and get on well with. They’re the best kind of antidepressant I’ve ever run across. Intelligent, capable people who will listen to your gripes, help you come up with solutions, and then help you take your mind off your problems, they’re the best kind of people. Cathartic.
I’ve dealt with some heavy issues recently. Those issues haven’t gone away with time. Indeed, they’ve only gotten worse, a fever that continues to rise. It affected my sleep. It hindered my work. It stained my interactions with people. The fever rose and rose, more and more things building up and skewing my life into a harsh and troubling place. My mind was having fever dreams, thoughts and ideas and conflicts and emotions all roiling and boiling in my brain. There was no succor for my mind, for my troubles, for my issues.
Or so I thought.
The fever broke today. The mass of issues came to a head and then popped, not unlike a zit. Popped and bled and hurt and was completely gross. Then the cleanup began. Like having a fever, the fever breaking doesn’t signal the end of the sickness. You’re still sick even after the fever’s gone. The sickness is still here, still holding on, still threatening to come back just as strong. It’s not over until it’s over.
Visiting with friends, having a good time, chatting, hanging out, venting, laughing, explaining, it was cathartic. It helped the healing process. I know it’s not over yet but a different kind of fever broke with the visit with my friends. A fever of the soul. All these issues have affected me deep inside, infecting my soul. The infection spread and spread with each troubling day until I could hardly think for it. Last night I was up until four a.m., unable to sleep, the thoughts tumbling in my head. I woke at seven a.m. and it was like I’d never slept. The more I chatted and laughed and visited with my friends, the more my soul healed.
Sufficiently bolstered, healed, patched up, and invigorated, I do believe I’ll be ready to get things in order and progressing this week. The fever’s gone and now the real healing can begin. My soul’s good to go, now for the rest of me!
The Quick, Not The Dead 