LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  45 

(February 16, 2007)

Yesterday I got a call from the Mood Disorder Association asking if I would do an interview with a columnist from the Vancouver Sun. Would I ever! Of course I agreed. An author will accept any opportunity to have her name made public and I love every opportunity to raise awareness about mental health issues.

Within an hour I was on the phone with the columnist. He is doing a three-part series on depression. I don’t think he was prepared to be talking about bipolar disorder. He seemed to have only planned to talk about depression. So he asked what I feel like when I’m depressed. I told him a few of the feelings I get, like not being able to see the brilliance of a colorful garden. But then I also told him a few things he wasn’t asking about, like the highs and what they do to me. I told him how, the higher my mood goes, the deeper I drop.

The interview went very fast, though we did get a lot talked about. But I would have liked to tell him a lot more. I would have liked to make sure he has lots of good stuff to draw from. So now I wonder what kind of a story he’s going to come up with. That’s always the danger. It’s so easy to be misunderstood by a journalist and have him paint the wrong picture.

Next thing, perhaps, will be to have my picture taken. They may or may not need it.

This was an opportunity I relished and one I hope will repeat itself, especially once my new book comes out.