I'll start with the only part of this that is somewhat on topic. The photography.
We had company Mon night. One of the people is a budding photojournalist with a fancy schmancy digital camera from the university, and she has offered to photograph my jewelry. Yippee.
And the rest:
People who came over were involved in "the healing arts", primarily Reiki, and I re-remembered some of my earlier mental health history. Two of the three of us who practice Reiki, spoke of having issues really smack them in the face when they began their training.
People doing Reiki often have that experience, but I did not. Looking back for reasons, I see that I had already been working with a psychologist on alcohol, domestic violence, and Co-Dependence, as well as Depression. So perhaps many of my issues were already well on their way to resolution.
I had also been trying desperately to deal with my Depression. Anything was worth a try. Psychology, meds, meditation while hugging trees, Tai Chi, Qi Gung (think Chi Kung), Reiki. But nothing was working to lift the Depression. And then it occurred to me. In healing arts, they speak of healing, not of curing.
There are lots of conditions a person cannot be cured of, but a person can be brought to a level of comfort and readiness. Often the "healing" Reiki will bring to a cancer patient (eg), is an acceptance of the condition and peace of mind, and readiness to take the next step,even while still fighting the disease using the bodies own wisdom.
It occurs to me that while I am not cured and might never be, I am healed to a large extent. I want to be more, but I can love myself as I am. And I think because of that, I can fight the effects of Depression much better.
Tina