Words for Cows - What a Great Deal!


Do you love a good read? Do you want to make a difference?

Then please help out!

Goldfish Press Publications already devotes a lot of time & effort into publishing great books, but now they are also producing great reads that actually go beyond GFP's belief that: "brilliant writing has the ability to [...] change lives and set those affected by it on wondrous paths never before imagined." How? By providing you with a direct path between the printed word and helping less fortunate families with their fundraiser for Heifer International--an organization that buys cows for hungry families.
You can help by purchasing copies of The World According to Goldfish Vol I - Looking Past, and Vol II - Sight. Two poetry anthologies that will really make a difference... These anthologies are being sold separately and will be printed in a limited first run edition so please order NOW! These books will not only feed your brain and soul, they will also help feed the hungry! What more could you possibly ask for?

Order copies for yourself, your friends, and your family members. Your purchase can make the difference between this becoming a truly successful fundraiser and forcing GFP to pull the plug on this terrific project.

So order!
Visit Goldfish Press Publications' Fresh Catch! Catalog. And, since this is a fundraiser in support of Heifer International, why not consider ordering a few extra copies--Christmas is coming!!!
Fresh Catch!

Did I already mention that you should order?!
http://shop.goldfishpress.org/main.sc


Keep on clicking!

PDL

© 2009, Pascal-Denis Lussier
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Living Life as a Taboo: Looking from Within - Being Bipolar


This is the first entry in what I hope will become a regular feature to this blog; it's called 'Living Life as a Taboo.' Its purpose and aim, I believe, is self-explanatory...

The following text was written by a friend, Wm. Andrew Turman:


"This illness will be the death of me yet!" That is something I am fond of saying when I refer to my particular mental illness, Bipolar Disorder. The reverse is also true: "This illness will be the life of me!" It is not easy to be Bipolar. I struggle daily with pain, despair and loneliness that you can only imagine. I also experience joy, insight and creativity that you, a person without a mental disorder, cannot begin to touch.

It has not been easy. I have been hospitalized at least 50 times over the past 25 years. I have tried just about every medication on the market. I have gone through almost every psychotherapy approach imaginable. I have endured 45 electroshock treatments. But I have found only one thing that has really helped me in my journey: determination and grit.

It is not easy to navigate the mental health system to get what one needs. I tire of constantly demanding what I think might keep me well. But know this: I now want to be well. I don't want to be mentally ill. It takes constant vigilance on my part to keep a toe-hold in this world, to keep from drifting into my own version of reality, which is quite different from yours.

I have not worked in the past 6 1/2 years. I have a Master's degree in Special Education. Just this past week, I had a job opportunity to become a janitor, and the interview went well! I will pour my heart and soul into the work of cleaning toilets, just as I did into working with a classroom full of students. Why? Because it is a stepping stone to a life of fulfillment.

The keys to staying well, I have found, can be simple: take my medications, stay on a sleep schedule, eat right and exercise. I also have my painting and writing that allow me to take my pain and joy and express them in an acceptable manner.

I have a long journey, without a map, without companionship, without much light. It is hard, but I choose to go on, because I am basically an optimist, and I have no choice but to continue. I will not let my illness stand in the way of being human and successful. I want as normal a life as possible.

I have lost friends and family to my illness. Some relationships are beyond repair, some will eventually return. It isn't easy being me, but it isn't easy being around me, either. I lose all rational thought when I am sick. I know that I will always have this illness; it won't magically disappear. I must simply cope as best as I can and rely on a support system, those who have agreed to prop me up when I need the help.

Funny thing about the human spirit. It holds out hope in the face of insurmountable circumstances. Hope is a constant theme in my art. Hope is what I hold closest to my heart. I will survive, and one day, be happy.
happy.


© 2009, Wm. Andrew Turman
Picture: Oil on canvas; "The Angry Buddhist" by Wm. Andrew Turman
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Yes it has been a while...


A few PC problems; many events, both personal and professional; one or two dramas, and on top of that it's summer! But don't worry, I should be back fairly soon... Until then,

Keep on clicking!

PDL

© 2009, Pascal-Denis Lussier

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