Sunday Secrets: November 08, 2009

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. I find it to be an insightful sociological experiment.

These four cards had an impact on me today. The first is from PostSecret on Twitter. The other three are from Frank's blog today. In a way, these secrets connect to one another and to a part of my life story.


My dad had a terrible problem with rage. It embarrassed me when he yelled at unreasonable customers in his pizza shop. But it was downright terrifying when his rage turned on me. He literally slapped my first loose tooth out of my mouth.

I never found it.


Much much later, I learned that Dad's rage was very likely part of a mood disorder ... one that runs in families. One I have. My recovery is going well, but there are times when I dip into relapse.

I don't dip far.


The difference is that I know my relapses are not as much of a determining factor in my future as my recovery. I can be a victim of my mood disorder, but I'll be unpredictable and miserable. Instead, I've made a decision to live in a simpler, more centered way.

I have a charmed life.


One simple thing I do daily is check for mail at my local shipping store where I rent a post office box. Some days, the two young men working there are the only people I talk to in a day (outside my family). I look forward to those quick visits and our small chats.

Thanks, Kevin and Brad!