The Mighty Pen.

Writing is quite an adventurous endeavor.  I enjoy writing about life and sharing my experiences.  There is something very powerful about putting thoughts on paper.  Seeing the pictures of the people memorializing the life of the Parisian cartoonist brings tears to me eyes.  There is something so powerful about raising a pen.  This is one reason I am so happy my son has learned to draw and write despite all odds, because I want him to be able to express himself in many forms.  There is something powerful about a real pen on paper.  I have several cartoons I have created as a release to share how I feel about some absurdity of life, but I am not brave enough to share them.  I realize their power and keep them close to my heart in fond memory of the time.  The images assisted me in expressing my feelings that were beyond what I could express in ordinary language.

Working in government, I have learned the art of what to say and what not to say.  This is a delicate dance of sharing the issues while being positive.  People that have worked in government a long time can sound very strange at times, having lived this way for so long.  I value the role I have, because it calls on me to infuse a little reality into what can be a vacuum at times.  Though these are often internal conversations.  I also admire the non-profit organizations ability to infuse a little more reality.  What I admire the most, is the might of the pen of the ordinary citizen that makes a stand.  One pen can give pause to a whole system.  People may not realize the great power they hold.

As people with behavioral health conditions, often we turn inward with our feelings and thoughts.  There seems to be few avenues of expression at times where the lens of analysis doesn't reduce our statements to a diagnosis, but this can be a feeling we impose on ourselves.  We can own our art as part of our stories and we can own our writing as powerful expressions of meaning and purpose.  We can do more than doodle and journal our feelings, we can change the world.  Express yourself!