Donald Shampine

Recently I watched the live birth of a giraffe. I was not a follower of the protracted pregnancy of April, although I was aware of it. And I do like giraffe’s, it just did not grab my interest. Yet, on the day of the calf’s birth I happened to be online at the right moment and I gave up 5 minutes of my time to watch the little giraffe being born. This was an event that was followed by many, for months, and viewed by millions that day, and following the event. It was a shared collective experience that was brought up online as well as real life conversations. It brought people together. It spurned discussions. I think mostly it was a welcome distraction from all of the other hard things going on locally, the political divide, the world conflicts, as well as the personal struggles we all face. I applaud Animal Adventure Park for sharing this experience with everyone. Understand this is not an endorsement of or a conviction of the idea of animals in captivity, simply an appreciati...

Living with someone with anxiety and depression teaches you many things. It doesn't matter if it is a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, or a significant other, you will learn, whether you like it or not, you will learn. If you fight the lessons that this teaches you, they will batter at your mind and body and leave you bloodied and defeated. So be open to the lessons you are given as they will serve you well in this and all other aspects of life. Patience  You will learn patience. It tears at your every fiber as you can't seem to make heads or tails of what's going on and why as it all defies logic. You won't understand it because it defies logic but also defies emotion. You will want to make sense if it, find the cause, then implement a cure. Yet, that is not your role, it's not your reality, and it's not likely to happen. So you endure the ebb and flow, loving someone with depression and anxiety will test your patience as you will seek answers, f...