Progress, Not Perfection

Thank you. Thank you all a thousand times over. I don't know how I can possibly put into words how much it meant to me that you all supported me so willingly, without giving it a second thought, without judging me for needing such support from you. The blogosphere is a wonderful thing - a community of people willing to step up at a moment's notice and say, "I will help you." Your comments, emails, IMs, etc. all helped me tremendously. It's hard to tell people when I need help, especially the kind of help that is really just a kind word of reassurance, because I feel weak and needy, and I'd rather just be strong enough to do it all completely on my own. I'm sure some of you out there know exactly what I mean.

But the fact is that we can't do it on our own - I can't do it on my own. And you were all there to tell me that I didn't have to, because you'd be there to help. I can't possibly ever thank you enough for that.

I'm on the road to straightening out my meds issues, so with luck (and more money than I'd like to pay right now, probably) that will all settle back into a nice rhythm within the next couple weeks. And New Boy and I will find a way to straighten out our relationship, too, whether that means being friends or being strangers or what. Things aren't perfect around here, but I just keep telling myself:

Progress, not perfection.

It's true that the last week or so had me at a level of depression I haven't seen in almost a year. But I recognized it and asked for help much sooner than I did last time. I talked to people whose opinions I trust and asked for their advice. And, because I'm sure some of you are wondering but afraid to ask, I did not cut myself - not even once. (For those who didn't know, I'm a cutter and have struggled with this in the past. Read posts about it here.)

So am I 100% healthy and happy? No. But I'm in better shape than I was the last time something like this happened. And that's a very good thing.

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Meanwhile, there have been a few small changes around here that I'd like to bring to your attention if I could. (Because let's face it: Depressed or not, I'm still a blogger.) First, I subscribed with BlogRush, a new tool that helps drive traffic to your site. If you look in the sidebar, you'll see a new widget there that shows some other posts from the blogosphere. Those are posts from blogs similar to mine (in theory), and my posts show up in widgets on other sites. I highly recommend jumping on this particular bandwagon, as it can increase your traffic exponentially. Click on the tab that says "BlogRush" for more info and to sign up. (And do it here, because if you click from my site, you become my referral, and all of your referrals get linked back to me, etc. It's all explained on the site.)

Second, during a routine blog-walk over at Love is Blonde, I discovered Twenty Something Bloggers, a network for - gasp! - bloggers in their twenties. I know I have a number of readers who fit this category (you know who you are!), so you should all consider going and joining and being my friend! I even have a comment wall, so those of you who have been desperate for me to join Facebook can now write stuff on this wall instead. Check it out and consider joining up.

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Before I sign off, I'd like to say a HUGE congratulations to Amanda of Tumble Dry and The Wink, who is going to be blessed with a new little miracle in her life. Thanks for giving me something to be happy about when I thought there was nothing. If it's a girl, consider the name Lara - it has a ring to it, no? ;)