The Simplest Things

"...that the human spirit is more powerful than any drug and that is what needs to be nourished: with work, play, friendship, family.  These are the things that matter.  This is what we'd forgotten.  The simplest things."  --Dr. Sayer played by Robin Williams, in Awakenings

Like so many others today, my thoughts are reflecting on the life and tragic death of actor and comedian Robin Williams.  This morning I've watched video clips from a collection of his most popular roles and found that many of his lines now ring with a deep and heavy irony.  Following his death, the characters he played seem to call out from the screen, sometimes with words of counsel and sometimes with words of introspection, urging us to become more mindful of those who are suffering in the darkness of depression.

A doctor recognizing the value of the simple things

A genie wishing for freedom

A professor teaching his students to seize the day and make their lives extraordinary

A medical student realizing that indifference is the most terrible of diseases

A grown man encouraging children to face their problems

A psychologist pointing out that bad times help us better appreciate the good times

There are many more.

I pray we open our eyes.

Depression is real and it is devastating.  As a nurse, I've seen its destructive effects from lost jobs to ruined relationships, from neglected children to broken families, from substance abuse to suicide attempts.  It is a life-threatening illness. 

I don't know how long Mr. Williams struggled with depression.  I do know that he hid it from the world well and I also know that most people with this illness do the same.  Even those who seem happy, those who are firmly grounded in their faith, those who have family support, and those who are in the best of physical health, might be in a daily fight against depression.  We must try to see them and we must reach out to them.

I'm afraid that depression has become one of the words we use flippantly, in instances that minimize its gravity.  We might say, "I am so depressed--I can't seem to find anything to wear today." or "It's depressing when my fantasy football teams lose."  Depression is not just a feeling, it is a condition that is debilitating and unrelenting.  It is silently invading the lives of people all around us and we need to educate ourselves on its presentation and treatment.

Is it preventable?  Not always.  Can it be treated?  Absolutely.  There is help and there is hope.  

Today, I am reminded of the importance of "the simplest things":  feeding my soul with things that matter and never forgetting them.  I am thankful to God for my Heavenly home.  I am grateful that my citizenship lies there and not in this troubled world.  I am looking forward with great anticipation to the day I will be able to live eternally in the presence of God, surrounded by only goodness, with all of my family.  This is what motivates me, this is what makes me endure, and this is what makes life worth living.  "All of life is a coming home." --Robin Williams as Patch Adams