Feeling Blue

This morning, my colleague told me that our company chairman's father had passed. In the office, generally we address him as "阿公" because that is what his grandchildren call him and his grandchildren are working among us. He is the founder to the parent company and since his hundredth birthday a few years ago, various festivities & celebrations had been elaborate. Just last week "阿公" was here at the lunar seventh month prayers and had bought extra fruits & premium cherries for prayer offering. Some staff were distributed some of the fruits. Just this morning I finished the last few cherries (above). Little is known about "阿公" until during one of his BD dinner, his grandchildren put together a biography or sorts and I learned about the schools he built and sponsored in rural parts of China and that he traveled there often.

But that was not the depressing news.

Again just last week on August 9th, I was at the pool relaxing and was just reviewing my life in general when it occurred to me that August 9th was kind of a landmark-date. I remembered in 1999 August 9th I had an overwhelming depression episode in which Bren told me to go get professional help. So I searched for hypno and ended up with a coach for nine months. Ever since, I consider myself cured because I've moved away from extremities and was about to message my coach to tell him 15 years had passed and I'm clean. Then I went to tag Robbin William's FB, etc. and today I learned about his passing. I am depressed. I know most people know him as a funny-man with Mrs. Doubtfire, Night at the Museum, Jumanji, etc. but I see him as Bicentennial Man, Dead Poet Society, Peter Pan and the lesser-known What Dreams May Come. Especially the last. It was about a man who metaphorically went to "hell" (depression) to find his wife to bring her back.It is a touching movie because along the way to "hell" and back, his children (without him knowing) were with him in his journey not only to help find their mother but also to aid their father in what he feels is his personal quest . That movie has a happy ending. Not a lot of people could relate to that movie but I think any person who had/has chronic depression may relate. I am so sad Robbin didn't live to live that light he had tried so hard to portray in his work.