Love;

If I were to imagine my life story written on a piece of paper... Well, first of all it would be a yellowed, college rule sheet that has the tattered edges of being ripped out of the notebook in haste. It would be worn, pretty smooth but with evidence of having been crumpled up and flattened out several times. I say this like its unique, but I'm pretty sure that anyone who has lived much of a life would have a pretty similar paper. And although the individual words of each persons life story is so varied, one thing remains constant through all the stories. The use of the semi colon; which I personally suck at using correctly. As is put so eloquently in the semi colon projects website "a semi colon is used when an author could've chosen to end the sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life".

I love this project for so many reasons; mainly due to the fact that I have survived for as long as I can remember with pretty severe anxiety and depression and continue to struggle each day with it. Another big reason I support the movement is as a remembrance of the life of my nephew Alex; who sadly found ending his sentence the only way out. I wear this symbol as a reminder to myself and anyone else who may be dealing with anxiety/depression, addiction, self injury, or suicidal thoughts that each day is a conscious effort to keep your story going; that there is more to your story than this; and that you are not alone.

I am amazed and inspired by the number of semicolon tattoos I've seen popping up online and hope to see more because the area of mental health has been so full of shame and embarrassment that many  don't get the help they need. I myself have felt so ashamed of my sometimes debilitating anxiety that I have lost out on so many opportunities in my life. My fear and embarrassment over people's reactions have kept me from relationships, education, and adventures that I greatly regret. Knowing that my children may be predisposed to a mental health disorder because of my own crushes me. This project enables me to be more proactive with them as they grow up, so they know that anxiety and depression (nor any disability) are not something to be ashamed of.  This tattoo is a talking point and possibly a beacon of hope to someone in need who is looking for help, someone to talk to, or just to know that they are not alone.

This little symbol means so much. So much more than could ever be put into words. It has allowed me to finally come clean with anyone who sees me; anyone who reads this that yes, I do have anxiety and depression and yes, I consciously choose to keep my story going because of love; love.