Wicker Houses

Like wicker houses easy to catch fire. Thatched roofs and straw floors. No protection from the cold. No comfort provided on hot dry summer days. My soul is cracked and splitting. My emotions are raw. I am sometimes held together by tape and glue. Sometimes I don't hold together at all. Sometimes I am broken pieces on the floor waiting to be scooped up and thrown away. Thrown away so no one steps on me and cuts their foot. I am broken china ware, shattered glass, sharp chips of pottery.
Some days are better than others. Some days are really good. Loud music and getting things done. Other days I am scared. I am tired. I am lonely and sad. Bad days are just that , bad. Good days can be wonderful.

We all live in wicker houses. The secrets that we tend to keep shut up so tightly eventually seep through the cracks. Voices carry. Emotions expel. We keep our houses and tend to make judgments on how others keep theirs. It is not really our place to judge since we all have skeletons we would rather leave in the closet. But some of us do anyway.

It has been evident to me lately at how some people are cruel to each other. If someone shares an opinion that is disagreed upon some will become keyboard warriors and wage wars against the offending party. Hurtful names are said, curses are proclaimed. It is silly

We as humans have got to stop putting others down. We have to think before we speak. We have to put ourselves in other's shoes before we make comments about their lives.
Stigma is very real. Often times, a person with mental illness will pretend to be perfectly healthy just to try to avoid the comments and stares. We often times will say we feel fine when we don't or we are doing well when we are not. We play act like no actor you have ever seen. We don't want to be perceived as dangerous or scary.We don't want others to hide things from us or treat us like we are second class citizens.
There has been reports that many people think that mentally ill people are not capable of work or being productive. Many are afraid to hire us because they believe we are a danger. It is a very tough situation.
All I can say to that is when you  imagine the mentally ill , think of your mother, your father, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and children. Think of your family and friends and how you would want others to treat them if the were suffering. Put your family's face on the word mental illness because in all likelihood some of your family members are mentally ill. They are just able to hide it from you or you are so wrapped in denial that you refuse to see it. Look in your house. See that all of our houses are made of wicker. All of our houses can be swept away with one good blast of wind. One good dose of negativity. One good push of reality. All of our walls have wholes and cracks and the neighbors can see in. We are all susceptible to judgment and ridicule.  No one likes to be stigmatized. Please think before you speak and walk in our shoes before you judge.

Neurotic Nelly