The Happy Grouch

      I originally posted this blog a little over a week ago. A couple days ago, I took it down, fearing it might create a prejudice in my search for employment. My search for a partner. Or a bias in general. And then I realized, I am doing nothing but shaming myself by removing it, bolstering the stigma associated with mental health. If I am to be judged by it, unaccepted because of it, in any circumstance, then so be it. We all have hard times. We each have our own personal demons and struggles. Maybe we’ve lost someone we love, or a job, or a home. Maybe our spouse of decades has decided they are no longer “in love.” Maybe someone is terminally ill. An addict. Severely disabled. Has lost a child (possibly the worst pain that exists, I’ve seen it firsthand). And many of these instances remind us to count our blessings. Our friends and family tell us how fortunate we are that none of these are our hardships. We minimize our suffering because of the comparisons. But the truth is,