“There, but for the Grace of God, go I”
and I’ll tell you why. I am a sleepwalker and for a short moment every night (of my entire life), I live in a reality constructed with images from my deepest fears. It’s terrifying when for a few minutes, I literally don’t know what is real and what is fake. For that reason, I am a tee-totaller. No drink, no drugs. Take a risk with the “other side”? No thanks! Fortunately, for now, I have that kind of control.
For now, I continue to wake up from the night terrors. Sometimes I find myself in another room, sometimes I am embarrassed because I have interacted with someone while in an altered state of my reality. It’s a way of life for me and I am grateful to God every day for waking me up and giving me one more day to live a “normal” life. Every day is a gift.
But to truly have a mental illness that requires drugs to stay in the here-and-now, is terrifying to me. I live a few minutes of sheer madness each night, but I get to wake up, for now.
BTW: sleepwalking is misunderstood. I cope with it and have learned to bite my tongue when others mischaracterize it. Those of you who are true sleepwalkers know what I’m talking about.
But for the grace of God go I. Everyone who lives with or supports someone with a mental illness deserves a prayer.
kdot
Yeah and no telephones in the room.
Once I had what was left of a dinner salad bedside and woke up wearing it. LOL