I am a schizophrenic. Wrong. I am a person living with a brain disorder called schizo-affective disorder ( a form of schizophrenia). You never hear people say, "I am cancer" or any other medical illness with the exception of diabetes and there are vital health reasons for that.
I am not my illness. I am so much more. I am a daughter, a sister, a neice, a cousin, a friend. I am a poet, a writer, a peer support specialist, a speaker on mental health issues; I am strong. I am vital. I am eccentric. I am anything I choose to think I am or take on at any point in time.
Everyone has a challenge in their life. We are all really the same. We face adversity. We form theories and philosophies. We act on them. I take a positive road in this journey. My experiences in this life do not only deal with mental illness. Sure, it colored all my thoughts for some time. But, I have to cut it off and say,"I am not my illness."
I am not my circumstance. I have choices no matter what's going on at the time. I refuse (now) to let my illness rule and take my personal power. I will keep trying until the day I die. After all, if we choose to live, this is all anyone can do. We are all the same.
Sometimes, I write poetry specifically about the african-american experience in the light of the history of our treatment in America. I still think this is a very compelling and provocative story giving birth to many issues. But, the bottom line is we do have to come together now to save our country. And not for the purpose of persecution and manipulation of the poor and some ethnicities.
I think we as individuals are a microcosm of the world and if I and everyone else tries to take care of their issues, so will the world. Because, basically we are all the same.
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