My favorite Monday workout is a Power class at Sun Oaks Racquet and Tennis Club followed by some time on the treadmill in the cardio room. The timing is perfect because I can watch The View and it’s the only time I allow myself day-time television. It’s a treat.
A few weeks ago Holland Taylor was on following Barbara Walters bout with chicken pox. (I avoid the news and you see what I miss?) You may know Taylor as Charlie and Allen’s mom on Two and A Half Men. She was on the show promoting Ann, a play based on the life of Ann Richards, which Taylor wrote and is starring in currently at New York’s Beaumont Theater.
Though she was there to promote the play, she took the air time opportunity to share her own journey through mental illness, de-stigmatizing as she spoke. She talked about how creative people (especially actors/actresses) often struggle with symptoms of mental illness that fall hand in hand with the ups and downs of the industry. We need only look down a list of artists in all mediums through the years to support that observation.
Taylor explained she needed antidepressants to help her through that time, but emphasized that those alone were not the key. They were only one part, an essential part but not the whole solution. What had to go along with those was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This taught her to see that her thoughts controlled her feelings. She learned about thought blocking. The combination of meds and therapy TOGETHER were the key to bring her out of the dark place she’d found herself. That combination allowed her to crawl back to the light.
I loved that she used her time on The View to promote mental wellness by sharing her own story. Only through this bravery can we fight the stigma surrounding mental illness. I am confident more than one person out there who needed to hear her story heard her, and will feel empowered to seek the help they need, likely saving their life.
~THE RAIN~
I will not run from the rain any longer.
Just as surely as the rain will fall,
The sun will touch all things rinsed.
This is the process of growth.
Damien Balderrama, Precipice of Evolution
jamieweilwrites 
Excellent blog Jamie
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks, Ms. Wendy! xoJ
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Thanks, Jamie! I love the poem!
Lois
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Me, too. My friend Damien wrote that! xoj
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Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for reading!
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So did you ever meet Pastor Rob Scribner, or were you at the Lighthouse before his tenure?
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It was soooo long ago. I was a freshman at UCLA and had just moved there. Over 30 years. I can’t remember. Funny! Thanks for reading!
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Was the pastor Ron Norris?
Sorry, I keep asking, and you told me you don’t remember.
Yeah, 30 years ago is slightly a long time ago.
Do you remember Peggy Hagoski?
ok, I can’t stop. sorry again.
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That’s possible on the pastor. I didn’t go that many times. Don’t remember those people, though. Just remember I liked the light in the building and the feel of the place.
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Thank you for this excellent post Jamie! And the poem you selected is poignant and perfect. Every visit to your wonderful blog leaves me feeling inspired and recharged. Thank you for sharing your lovely light with us all here. Love and gratitude, Gina
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That is such a meaningful compliment coming from you, Gina, and here’s the thing I love the most: I have the exact same experience when I visit your blog. I feel your light there, too, and I feel you sharing it with the world. My gratitude for your lovely words–both here and in your blog. Love! Jamie
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