The Author's Corner: The Long Walk

As I sit here with my pen and paper, I see the past like an old movie playing in the background. The thoughts of where I was at seventeen before leaving a town that showed me nothing but hate to a new town for my grade twelve year. Then it was my move to Edmonton in 1997 to take my Culinary Arts course. It was like yesterday as I think of it now.

Back then I had social problems, however I knew how to work hard to achieve my papers in cooking. The four years in Edmonton was hard as I had many problems that I was dealing with. The biggest one was my childhood trauma of dealing with the bulling that I went through. I was suicidal for the most of the first two years in Edmonton. The only thing that saved me was school and a friendship that I made on my first day of classes.

I moved home after I got my Red Seal and worked in the oil field for a year to pay off my school debt. After that I moved once again, this time it was to the area of the country I am from. I chose to live in Halifax and I was there for three years. I went back to school to take business administration to be able to get into the higher positions in the kitchen.

In the late summer of 2004, I started having problems with the onset of what I would be diagnosed in February of 2005 as schizophrenia. This would change my life in so many ways where it took my life away from me.

From 2005 until now, 2024, I have been battling with it. The sad thing is that I have been struggling with the illness all of my life. I have seen all sides of this illness, and I have seen the inside of the hospital twice since my stay in 2005. I have been lucky as I have been on top of my health.

The long walk that I am on is mine and mine alone as the one you are on is yours.  Each of us have challenges that are meant for us to grow and change. The one thing we can not get back is the time that has pasted.

When our physical bodies die our souls will continue the walk alone. Some will never know why things have happened to them, but the lessons will be learnt.

Stay safe.