Sparks Ignites

I, Lady Colleen Cadbury, being of reasonably sound mind and more than ample body, do declare this is my last will and testament. At the time of my demise, I bequeath my possessions to the Spittleworth Home for Village Idiots –– where my son, Jack, will most likely end up. That is, if he isn’t crushed or eaten by Big Betty, widow of the late Beanstalk Giant.

What people fear the most after speaking in public and being trapped in an elevator with Harvey Weinstein – is death. Tucked away in a compartment of our brain labeled “Denial” resides a black-robed figure waving a scythe. We know who it is, but we’re just not comfortable waving back. The acknowledgement is too uncomfortable. Let’s avoid any reference until we are forced by circumstances we can’t avoid. We all know the words are Dead, Death or Die. There is such a tremendous fear we skirt around the topic using phrases that don’t mention the three “D’s.”. If we don’t utter the words it won’t deliver the real impact. Sweeten the bitterness of it all with a clever expression. An innocuous comment and we remove mental images of corpses and coffins. They’re not “DEAD,” they’re just not here anymore. We’ve all heard them, and used a few. It sounds so final and tragic to say “dad is dead” rather than “dad has departed.” What’s so bad about dad...

  May 5, 1897 – Police Gazette News  The Enchanted Forest Police issued a restraining order today against a Gold E. Locks. The plaintiff, Mom E. Bear filed the complaint after finding the culprit in her home. The incident involved destruction of property. The protective order demands that Ms. Locks not wander into the Bear’s neck of the woods at any time. The cause stated on the order was – Breaking and Entering, Private Property Destruction, Smoking in Bed, Lounging in the Bear’s Bedroom, Porridge Confiscation and Stalking. Deputy Jack B. Nimble prepared the order after interviewing the Bear family at police headquarters. According to Mom E. Bear the family was at Ted E. Bear’s picnic when Ms. Gold invaded their modest split-level home in Hundred Acre Wood. Official record transcribed by Miss Tuffet – stenographer for the Chief of Police. Mom E. Bear – “We were returning from an afternoon picnic when we noticed...

Dear Royal Diary: I feel I’m at the end of my journey. There are only several fair damsels left to grace with my presence. It’s been the most arduous task I’ve ever performed. I’ve never really been into feet, and dear Lord Bunion, have I seen way too many. It astounds me a face can be an image of rare beauty graced by god, but the feet can be cloven hoofs cursed by Satan himself. This trip of many feet and even more miles began when my parents decided I should find a maiden and make her my princess. My royal mommy said she was tired of seeing me stare at myself in the mirror for hours. I agreed, she’s very astute. I did need a princess to stare at me in the mirror too. Perfection should never be wasted on one pair of mesmerizing blue eyes. Daddy and Mommy, King and Queen of the Kingdom, planned a historic ball and invited all the fairest maidens in the land. They advised me to find a suitable bride with fair skin and no recognizable ethnicity. She must be polis...

ATTACK OF THE ORANGE BLOB Moviegoers who’ve rushed to see this summer’s box office hit, Wonder Woman, prepare yourself for a more compelling action, mystery, horror, political, bone-chilling blockbuster to watch as the next several months unfold. Coming straight from Washington, DC and the Kremlin is the frightening tale of Trump. He’s an incompetent Reality TV Real Estate Tycoon who unbelievably becomes the worst U.S. President ever. Appearing on a TV channel, an internet news site, a newspaper, a magazine, or a Twitter feed is “Attack of the Orange Blob.” Watch as this bloated, sociopath in adult diapers, tries to blindly maneuver his way through the halls of Capitol Hill. Never before has there been such a performance since the Madness of King George. As our summer of global warming (a plot from the “Ghinese”) heats up so does the action. The Colluder-In-Chief with his cabinet of monstrosities gather in the war room to conceive a diabolical plan to destroy health...

When you’re dealing with depression and anxiety, you’re often handling conflicting emotions and thoughts. Your brain cycles between caring about nothing and caring too much about everything. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. A ride that’s exhausting and seems endless. There are many ways to explain it, but there’s really no way to completely understand unless you’ve been diagnosed with the illness. Many people think they get it. They can comprehend depression because everyone has down days, and sometimes people get anxious. The official medical diagnosis of depression and anxiety disorder is much more than just feeling blue. It’s different than dipping your toe into a pool of tears. Depression is like being hit by a tsunami of blackness. You’re pinned down by a weight. Trying to pull yourself out of its depths is a tremendous struggle. Many times, depression doesn’t want you to fight against the current. It wants you to stay submerged in the dark weight of not...

I’ve been asked twice to talk about my personal experience dealing with depression, anxiety and the use of genetic testing for mental health treatment. I became aware of this new test during a medication management appointment. My practitioner, a psychiatric advanced practice nurse, is an expert with psychopharmacology, and very knowledgeable about the latest treatments for depression.   After trial and error with many medications, we discussed pinpointing the best antidepressant for me, through genetic testing.   My interviews were featured on “Innovations”, a TV series on the Discovery Channel (watch here), and most recently, on a KYW-TV medical segment ( watch here ) during a six o’clock evening news broadcast.   Both times, I went through a lengthy internal debate about doing the interviews. There was serious trepidation about speaking publically concerning mental health. I’ve written several articles about depression, but it’s not the same ...