The first day of summer brought a bad crash into depression. The worst I can recall in recent history, although not the worst I've experienced. I've whined about, er, posted about worse bouts of depression here. The trigger was almost certainly a discussion group I went to. It's monthly, and I go when possible. But the group takes summers off. Possibly other members of this group need a few months' break to recover from having to deal with me the rest of the year. I went, knowing it would be hard. This group is one of the few "out of the daily rut" things I do, so it's hard seeing it end. But what I didn't expect was hearing others bubbling with enthusiasm for their summer plans. Which reminded of just how empty my summers are. I haven't had a vacation of any sort since I was a teenager, which is more than a quarter of a century ago. I haven't even had a day trip anyplace in 10+ years. There is a very good chance I won't be able to do anything special locally this summer, unless I can find something that costs $0 and I can get to by bus, which means that I will not be doing any Pride events. My grocery budget of under $200 means that I can also forget one-time summer joys of fresh strawberries and peaches. And social isolation is its worst for me in summer. And so...I had a massive depressive crash. I'm glad the others at that discussion group have better summers to look forward to. I just wish I had something... Even being able to have one lousy box of fresh strawberries.
Hey BMC77, That’s rough. Do you ever see notices posted in shop windows about events or festivals? I’m sure in the summer time there are some free ones. And if not, I’ll bet you could still experience them without paying. Especially music festivals. They can’t stop you from hearing them outside the gates. ;} And is your Pride venue close enough that you could check out the free events? The parade? Ours ends at the beach and that’s open to everybody. As for the strawberries, here’s a little hint. Don’t tell anyone. At the public market, I’ve found, the fruit and vegetable vendors often sell the “soft” produce at an extremely reduced rate. You’ll find these offerings below the table usually. And it isn’t always that soft. Sometimes it’s just a blemish that makes it discountable. I’m sure they expect people to make jam out of it but not me. I eat it all as is. I’ve even taken to buying as much as I can over the summer and freezing it as I go to have it through the winter. Check out farmers markets, too. You just need to know where to look.
BMC77 - some of the best people I know get depressed. And everyone finds life sad sometimes, maybe a lot of the time. It's what makes us human - and the fact everyone gets sad sometimes - makes it possible to resonate with and relate to each other.
Yes, such things exist here. But it's always in the evening or the weekend. Bus service only exists weekdays until early evening. Limited bus service is also the reason why Pride is out of the question.
