Great reminder from @lizandmollie. Who comes to mind? Check in! ❤️💙💛 #friendship #kindness #compassion #selfcare #youmattertome pic.twitter.com/PUBXCuZOtw
— Rader Ward Foundation (@RaderWardFound) January 14, 2020
Mario Monday: grooving to the underworld theme
tobymac uses music to share his pain
800-273-TALK: lifeline always available
higher minimum wage could lower suicide rate
tiny habits for a better life
So number 11 reminded me of the “how to feel your feelings” post from December 21. I know it sounds basic, but I definitely could do some growing in this area!
why are young americans killing themselves?
"The good news is that we don’t have to wait for all the answers to know what to do. … We just need to do a better job of identifying, reaching out to and providing resources for at-risk youths." — Richard A. Friedman
I agree with the points Friedman makes in his opinion piece. We can and should work toward making the changes he advocates, and could save a lot of lives. The sobering part to me, though, is that I know even implementing all those changes can't reach every struggling kid.
The article says only 33 percent of boys with depression received treatment in 2019. Rader, in 2017, was indeed being treated for depression, seen by a pediatrician, counselors, and a psychiatrist. It cites the possible influence of smart phones and cyberbullying. Rader wasn't using a smart phone and was not active on social media. It mentions that the black box warning on antidepressants led to fewer prescriptions for teenagers than perhaps are needed. But Rader was taking a prescription antidepressant.
Friedman's conclusion: "To start, we need a major public campaign to educate parents and teachers to recognize depression in young people and to learn about the warning signs of suicide — like a sudden change in behavior, talking or writing about suicide, and giving away prized possessions. We should have universal screening of teenagers at school, with parental consent, to identify those who are suffering from depression and who are at risk of suicide. And we have to provide adequate funding and resources to match the mental health needs of our young people."
I agree that increasing knowledge among parents and teachers about suicide and its warning signs will save lives. I wonder if it could have saved Rader. I fully support universal screening at school, and increasing funding and resources to meet our teens' mental health needs. I'm going to keep working to get the word out.
So when you read something here on the website or on my social media that resonates with you, please share it. It could make a life-or-death difference to someone.
brave? strong? just trying to survive
Mario Monday, Van Gogh style
laying the foundation for modern mental health care
making a meditation space
learn the science of habit forming
Are you trying to build some new good habits in 2020? I am. I went back to my hot yoga class today for the first time in a while. I paid my renewal and made a plan with a friend to go weekly.
Knowing the science of how habit forming works increases your chance of success. One of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, wants to help. Take a listen!
happy 27th anniversary
27 years ago today, the two young people in this photo officially began their married life. As with most newlyweds, we were brimming with all the hopes and dreams of the future. You think, you speculate, you imagine, but who ever really knows what lies ahead? We probably thought we knew more than we did. But mostly we just knew that whatever came, we wanted to face it together.
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27 years later, having been through some wonderful times but also then hell and back, he is still the person I want to keep living my life with. No one else knows me so well, is so patient with my faults and flaws, understands my needs — sometimes better than I do. I have some wonderful friends who enrich my life beyond measure. But William is my person, my partner, the one who's always there. And that's the way I want it to stay. If we're lucky, we get another 27 years. There's no one else I would want to travel this road with.
❤️💙💛
#happyanniversary #weddinganniversary #27years #husbandandwife #vows #hopesanddreams #together #ionlywannabewithyou
start and don't stop
Quote from @theijeoma; art from @quotesbychristie. 💚 Happy New Year! I’m not making resolutions, but I have A LOT of areas where I want to start making changes. And yes, I am afraid! Yes, I have doubts, and so many what-ifs! What if I start and don’t finish? What if I try and fail? What if I make mistakes and mess it all up? What if I think I can do it but I can’t? I love this quote from Ijeoma Umebinyuo. The thing to do is start and don’t stop.
❤️💙💛
#happynewyear #2020 #start #startnow #startwhereyouare #startanddontstop #juststart #makingchanges #mindfulness #indomitablespirit
setting intentions for 2020
browsing the Mario library
Happy Mario Monday! Several new pieces of Mario merchandise made their way into our household this Christmas, including these two fabulous coffee table books — The Art of Super Mario Odyssey; and Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia, the Official Guide to the First 30 Years: 1985-2015.
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At 368 and 256 pages, these terrific tomes are going to keep us occupied for a while! Check out a couple interior photos from the Odyssey book. It’s so cool to see the concept art and get a glimpse into how designing the appearance of details large and small brings the whole world to life. And we haven’t even had a chance to start on the encyclopedia yet!
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We look forward to a whole new year of Mario Mondays, and we are glad you’re along for the ride as we honor something that brought so much joy to Rader.
building a life that encompasses loss
be the things you loved most
Epitaph
By Merrit Malloy
When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old me that wait to die.
And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.
I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.
Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.
You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.
Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.