"I decided early in graduate school that I needed to do something about my moods. It quickly came down to a choice between seeing a psychiatrist or buying a horse. Since almost everyone I knew was seeing a psychiatrist, and since I had and absolute belief that I should be able to handle my own problem, I naturally bought a horse."
"Once, after several days completely to ourselves and with no contact at all with the outside world, he brought me an anthology of writings about love. He had tagged one short entry that captured the essence not only of those intense, glorious days but of the entire year as well: Thank you for a lovely weekend. They tell me it rained."
"Science remains quite remarkable in its ability to raise problems even as it solves old ones. It moves quickly, often beautifully, and as it moves it brings high expectations in its wake."
"We all build internal sea walls to keep at bay the sadness of life and the often overwhelming forces within our minds. In whatever way we do this -- through love, work, family, faith, friends, denial, alcohol, drugs, or medication -- we build these walls, stone by stone, over a lifetime. One of the most difficult problems is to construct these barriers of such a height and strength that one has a true harbor, a sanctuary away from crippling turmoil and pain, but yet low enough, and permeable enough, to let in fresh seawater that will fend off the inevitable inclination toward brackishness. For someone with my cast of mind and mood, medication is an integral element of this wall: without it, I would be constantly beholden to the crushing movements of a mental sea; I would, unquestionably, be dead or insane. But love is, to me, the ultimately more extrordinary part of the breakwater wall: it helps to shut out the terror and awfulness, while, at the same time, allowing in life and beauty and vitality. When I first thought about writing this book, I conceived of it as a book about moods, and an illness of moods, in the context of an individual life. As I have written it, however, it has somehow tuned out to be very much a book about love as well: love as sustainer, as renewer, and as protector. After each seeming death within my mind or heart, love has returned to re-create hope and to restore life. It has, at its best, made the inherent sadness of life bearable, and its beauty manifest. It has, inexplicably and savingly, provided not only a cloak but lantern for the darker seasons and grimmer weather."
"Life is too complicated, too constantly changing, to be anything but what it is"
Those are just a few of my favorite quotes from the book I just finished for Psych, An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison (finally, I got to read something other than my pharmacotherapy textbook around here!) 
. If you have any interest in mental illness, especially the inner workings of a manic depressive mind, and/or the ups and downs and challenges of a person on lithium therapy, I would definitely recommend this book. It was a perfect read for a relaxing fall break. I got two days off... it's awesome how good it can feel to have two days off even through most of it needs to be spent catching up on schoolwork.
Went to a wedding yesterday for Samantha, a girl I go to school with (well... technically, we got there late and only made it to the reception.. but we tried!). Everything was decorated with fall colors, and they had two cakes... one three tiered with chocolate frosing and pretty swirls and colorful gerbera daisies... and the other one in the Virginia Tech colors and a hokie bird on top! =) loved it! The food was from a local Abingdon favorite... with wonderful potato soup... and she looked absolutely beautiful, as any bride should! aww. On Saturday, the school is putting on a Gala for the community. As the students, we are supposed to be giving tours of the new building and such... I think it's to raise awareness about the school and an effort to bring in additional funding. It should be interesting, though, because our new building has, for quite some time now, had an unrelenting sewer problem. The smell when you walk into the building will take you aback every day, even when you know it's coming. They say they are in the process of trying to find the source... but so far that process doesn't seem to be going so well...
Alright! I'm off... gotta get back to my to-do list! That list of fun is not going to check itself off... (but oh how I wish it would!!)
xoxo, Ky
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