A Splintered Mind

Day Twenty-two I completed the "#22Kill Challenge" a few weeks ago. I thought today would be a perfect day to put the rest of my videos up. Each post has a message—some deeper than others. I just wanted you to know that I saw the project through to the end and didn’t miss a day. My thoughts are heavy today because Memorial Day is the day to remember our fallen soldiers, and for me to remember my brother. He was a Marine just out of boot camp when a drunk driver plowed into the shuttle carrying him & ten other marines on liberty. So many of them were injured and never had their chance to serve. My brother was hurt the worst. He was planning on serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was just two weeks away from his 19th birthday. I visited his grave today, something I don’t often do. My brother, the cheeky imp I loved and cherished, isn’t there. Interred is his earthly tabernacle, but his spirit lives on, as we all do because ou...

" Tom Kelly - Light Painting " Somebody close to me recently mocked me online. They mocked my book . They mocked my invite to speak at the upcoming Mental Health America conference . They mocked all my recent achievements. They saw all of these achievements as me being bound to a lifestyle that will set me up for mockery. Ironic, I know. This person meant well, but did more harm than good at the time. How fortunate for me that I don’t need other people’s permission to feel good about myself. People who don’t acknowledge your mental health issues aren’t going to acknowledge your achievements. They aren’t going to acknowledge your progress because they don’t understand it. They are so emotionally invested in the belief that we are weak when we recognize our weaknesses that they refuse to pat you on the back for even the smallest of achievements. They see your achievement as failure. I know a guy from church a few years back who is so happy see me ...