Learning to Live Again

My greatest support: mijn liefste P. (from June, 2013)

@ Happy Feet in the Netherlands - I write about running, and my pursuit of a healthier life: physically & mentally

It's good to feel alive! 

Yesterday, I once again felt how far I have come in my pursuit to be a stronger person, after writing about running a race in our village: Driedorpenloop 2013: Running Home. I felt I've finally come home in every sense of the word.

You do not know how much happiness it brings me to be able to do the most normal things, that others take for granted.  As simple as writing what I did, and how I feel about it.

This month, I am making a huge effort to write in my blogs how running and writing helped me learn to live again, a life of quality. After suffering silently from manic-depression, -  undiagnosed until I was 30 years old -  it took blogging to make me confront and deal with it, and reach out to ask others for help and support.

collage from March 2009 - celebrating the month we moved to the Netherlands

When I moved to the Netherlands with the girls to begin a new life with mijn liefste P, I made a pact with myself, that I would do everything to not let my manic-depression beat me. I would do everything I can to live a full life, and make sure that the girls grow up with strong personalities; most of all create strong memories with them of a beautiful childhood.

from January, 2011

Blogathon 2013 is one of my way of documenting in words the struggle and triumphs of the years that passed since I decided to be pro-active in living with manic-depression, and not let it keep me from living a full life.

In this way, I hope to help others like I was generously helped.