A quick thought-sketch here ....
I am shocked and heart broken to learn about Kate Spade's suicide at age 55 ... My world is filled with people who suffer from depression and anxiety - nouns which I believe should not be focused on or identified with, because they create a constant limitation and and creates divides which probably don't exist, and they create secrecy and the illusion of perfect lives ... I feel more gratitude than words can describe that I have shaped my life to have accessibility towards the emotional health and expression ...
I wish Kate could have tapped into this world ... The suggestion that she never reached out for help because this would have tarnished her company Brand ... There is something wrong with this world that creative sensitive feel people have no options ... There needs to be a cultural shift and I think women can do it, can bring it. Speaking of culture shifts, here are Lily and Jane helping to deliver that:
I listen to this TED talk, watching Lily Tomlin at age 78 and Jane Fonda at age 80, knowing they have each fought for voice in their own way, wondering if Kate had been part of this sisterhood tribe if all could have been different. Why is emotional expression more allowed among actors and artists than successful business owners?
I particularly love the reference to Sister Joan Chittister (Dad and I heard speak in Lancaster, what a wonderful mix of Catholic base and spiritually and progressively extended) ... Sister JC says that "female friends are a spiritual act" (if we are lucky), and if we are more lucky, the men in our lives are too. As Jane (and Brene Brown) says, men are hard wired for connection too ... And it isn't about luck of who we have in our lives, it's about intention, awareness, what we want to grow towards ... How to shape our worlds ...
We need to change this shame / perfection / success culture we live in and shift it towards constantly being real and allowing others to be real ... I'm just holding Kate and her family in my heart ...
Ps. I want to add a note here that I know there is this idea out there that there is serious mental health stuff that is connected to chemical imbalances, and that this is not something that can be shifted with self awareness and mental work ... And it's possible that if I had that specific experience I would not have been able to do the work that I'm doing with my Spiritual Guide. AND I still believe that our spirits are bigger ......... And with the right guides ....
