Beyond Symptoms

Meeting with gifted writers/producers of major television shows doesn't come around that often, so I grabbed the opportunity to attend a convening around Bipolar Disorder and media depictions in DC yesterday. At the meeting was the writer for the series "House," one of the writers for "ER," and the Producer/Writer of the movie Jon Q. It was interesting to watch the discussion develop from a mechanical conversation about episodes and symptoms to a transformative experience that moved to understanding how a disease manifests itself into the humanity of an individual and impacts relationships, dreams, and worms itself into the core "identity". Some emotion was expressed by many members in the meeting as a "concept" moved to "reality."

I wish I could crawl in their minds and understand the mechanisms that are able to dream up fully living, breathing characters with passions. A gift that cannot be manufactured.

While in DC I was able to see two dear friends. Meeting with them helped me to remember that work is great but "true" living is spending time with friends and family and embracing the connection that can happen over a coffee or meal. Kind of a reminder from my meeting with the writers/producers, people aren't a pile of symptoms and processes that need to be cleansed. We are human beings, and our humanity can be messy and dirty at times but that is all a part of being relational beings and the beauty of truly living.

Now, if I can just learn to write characters like they do! :)

Painting titled "Transition" (48x36) by my friend Jerome Lawrence who has a serious mental illness. For more of his amazing art (Mrs. Carter bought one of his pieces for our offices, and I've had him speak at events on occasion) - visit www.jeromelawrence.net.