Hello, everyone.

I guess this post will serve as my warm introduction and my acknowledgement that I don't really know precisely what to say yet (or even, exactly, what I'm doing here). The one thing I'm learning on my journey (with depression as my lifelong companion) is that there's nothing quite so wonderful as connecting with peers. And by peers I mean, presumably, you!

I imagine that within this forum I will discover that, although the world is full of people who know nothing about what it feels like to live with depression (and bless their hearts for that!), here might be a sanctuary from the advice-givers ("buck up!" "just take some XYZ supplement" "have you tried a brisk walk?") the bright-siders ("just think of all the good in your life!") and the general assortment of ignorami who are always handy to remind us that we're doing depression wrong somehow.

i imagine, in short, that you (at least many of you) will recognize yourselves in bits and pieces, here and there, of my posts, just as in the reciprocal I will recognize myself in your own posts herein.

Thank you for being present and for including me in this community, and I look forward to getting to know you as you see fit. May peace be with us all.

--Mary Mae