Sunday morning I drove (after waking up from a long Saturday night) 50 minutes to Ellicott City (near Baltimore) to present ideas/sketch on SAY at a board meeting for CHAI.  CHAI is an organization in the Baltimore/Washington DC area providing outreach, referral and educational services to the South Asian community on issues related to mental health and wellness in the Baltimore / Washington metropolitan area.

Just in line with what I’m thinking with SAY! As I became a quiet observer of their board meeting, I found myself choking up. Here were a group of women, who had likely dealt with mental health issues with their loved ones or perhaps themselves, that were offering a place for people like me to be heard.  I began my presentation feeling strong, knowing their mandate was align to mine. And I launched into it. I’m realizing, as I talk to more people, hear more stories and collide into more worlds, of the mass appeal honesty has. The more honest I am about my pain, my agony, my guilt, my struggles in not only watching my mother suffer through bipolar disorder but in trying to give her care, the  more it resonates. I know, in order to really get momentum on this, I have to channel that deep honesty through my writing or through my words.

CHAI is very interested in combining efforts – we exist in the same paradigm. So we’re going to talk and see how we can partner on this.