Flippers (a moldy oldy for a friend)

OOMPA....SQUISH....WHAPPITY

You sit up with eyes wide.

OOMPA....SQUISH....WHAPPITY

Through the haze of the dark night I materialize. I have a tuba wrapped
around my torso held by one olive fingered hand, scuba flippers on and my
lantern duct taped to my head. I just stare at you with one eyebrow raised
like Spock. "Wwwwhat?"

You can't help yourself and you smile.

OOMPA....SQUISH....WHAPPITY, I come and sit next to you.

"Want my two cents?" I ask then continue on anyways, "long time ago when the
horse fell on me and I had a munched up pelvis and was bed fast for six
weeks, my mind got clouded by depression and got bored...it started
messing with me, it took advantage of the fact that bed had never been a safe
place, that I was a captive audience, that I was in pain, and I was isolated
from my regular routine.

My mind succumbed to the undulating waves of depression. Once there it was on
familiar turf and it was a short slid back into flashbacks and old thoughts
stirred up.

Sounds like your mind is messing with you too. You've got all those
doctors and people messing with you, you have the isolation of pain and
limited mobility, the very real fears of what if?

You have all this crap going on in your system. And your mind is
like..."too much for me" and so its injecting something familiar to "chew
on" so to speak. The stuff with your injury is open ended, you don't know how
it ends...the abuse...you know how its ends its a lot safer for your mind to
tumble that through the wringer cause, though disturbing, its familiar, and
more importantly it will end."

You stare at me like I'm insane.

I continue way past my two cents and round it up to $1.23. "Rather then
inject chaos into the mix, try injecting a few of these...and see if it
doesn't help:

1. stay connected with people, have a slumber party, invite a friend or two
over for a tea party (have someone pick up coffee/drinks and a dozen donuts)

2. Cats make great therapist for the bed bound, borrow one.

3. Change your scenery, have someone move your bed by the window or go lay
on the couch for a bit.

4. books on tape.

5. prank phone calls (oh wait caller id had kinda killed that sport) better
yet prank someone who will know its you...LOL.

6. Rent a stack of old comedy and have a movie night.

the key is to combat the depression first my friend. Then the monsters will
get the heave hoe and return to whence they came."

I strike a match and light your lantern. I lean over and hug you and then
one by one transfer a hand full of olives onto your fingers.

I stand up and take my leave, OOMPA....SQUISH....WHAPPITY

You let me get a few yards away before you can contain it no longer.
"Alright I give! What's with the flippers?"

OOMPA....SQUISH....WHAPPITY, I turn back "cause its a fashion faux pas to
wear skies with tubas after new years."