The Author's Corner: Fall from Grace

Everyone falls at one point in their life. Sometimes the fall is a mental breakdown that leads to a stay on the mental ward of the hospital. The falls that we go through in life, all bring us to a crossroads in our life. There is the question that is given to us, ‘Do we keep going the way we are going, or do we stop and change direction?’

For me I have fallen many times, and the big ones were in 2005 and 2010, both of which came from my mental health problem. In 2005 it was being diagnosed with schizophrenia and 2010 it was because of suicidal thoughts. With these falls, it could have gone the other way where I would be just a memory to those who are in my life.

When we fall from grace, it is a lesson that we need to learn to further our lives. A fall may be the passing of a loved and we are left wishing they knew how much we loved them. I think that sometimes we all fight with that one, even when you are caring for your parents in their elderly years if you live at home.

In the course of life, these moments of hardships, which I consider falls, mold us into who we become. When faced with a hospital stay, some of us take the time to see where we are headed. It also slows our life down because we can see more clearly what is happening in our life. Most times in the mental health wing of any hospital, you see the humanity of life at the worse state possible. From my stays, I have seen young adults who were struggling with understanding what is happening to them. I know the feeling as that was what happened in my stay in Halifax in 2005.

Every day we are faced with a crossroads of how we continue because the day to come is not promised. How do we treat those in our family, our friends and co-workers? Are we approaching each day with positive thoughts or are they negative? Both will determine how we see the fall.

All falls bring us to our belief that we have in God/the Creator, that is when the crossroads come to a stop. The reason is because until you are on your knees praying for help no matter if you believe or not, when it happens, you will find the true God.

Over the moments that happen in our lives when we are at the lowest, we find that after we pray for a sign, one will come to us. When I was in the hospital in 2005, I was at the point where I had to make a decision. I made that decision, however in 2010 I was forced with a bigger decision and I was left with changing my outlook. The outlook came from a coffee with my nurse. I was shown where I could end up or worse. It would be a few days latter when I decided to tell my story to the world to help those who are faced with a mental health problem. I had to fall, though I had to rise over my own situation that I found myself in, to tell my story.

It was not until I looked back on what has happened in the past years since 2020 when I had to retire from the workforce. I was faced with another crossroads, this time I did not end up in the hospital, this time though it was to start my career as an author. You can overcome everything in life if you have the right attitude.

Stay safe.