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sábado, 7 de octubre de 2017

Today

I'm used to being alone at home. When I was a kid, my mother and dad would work all day and I would watch TV most of the time or play I guess; I've forgotten about what I used to do besides watching TV and drawing, I don't remember much of my childhood until the moment when things got pretty bad. My dad is still very ill but now I know he's not dying soon, at least not because of this (because we never really know). He's been in his room most of the day and I've been in mine as I've done it for years. I remember asking for table games for Christmas as a kid so my parents would sit and play with me, but it never happened that way; even when I actually got those games, I'd try to play by myself (Twister is impossible) or wait until I was with a friend, because they couldn't make some time to play with me. So now that I'm 23, it's very weird for me having this man at home. I care about him a lot, and of course I love him, he's been a great dad but he doesn't say anything like "hey wanna watch a movie?" or "there's this show on the TV..." or "let's have a little talk, come here". When I get home from work, I sit with him on his bed to ask how he's doing and see if there's anything he needs, but I don't know how to act around him. When I was a teenager, I tried to change things by suggesting we should watch a movie or go somewhere but it didn't work. Instead, I became used to being by myself and letting him do whatever he wants. I suppose he does the same with me.

It's funny that after all this time I've been through many kinds of loneliness and it still hurts sometimes (I enjoy it too though). I'm sitting in the kitchen, poking at the boiled fish my aunt brought us, while thinking about how lonely it is not having siblings, but in a way I had never done before. If I don't let my friends know that my dad is very ill and I'm scared to death of him dying or being unable to live his life the way he's used to, they won't know because they aren't here in this house. When I mention what's going on, people have no idea what it feels like, because they have siblings or another parent alive, or they are very close to other family members. This bald man who makes bad jokes and lifts weights every single night is ALL I HAVE. The friends I've picked as brothers or sisters will never be the same, no matter how much I love them. They can get an idea of how I feel, but knowing that the rest of the world can't understand it 100% (unless they're going through the same thing) is very frustrating at this moment. Today I feel isolated, in a completely different dimension. Today I'm invisible.

lunes, 2 de octubre de 2017

How I almost lost it all last week

I'm an only child. When I was twelve years old, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and died when I was fourteen. During those two years, I was forced to grow up and forget about being a kid in order to help my exhausted father (who barely managed to work all day and get a couple hours of sleep) take care of her when I arrived from school, everyday. By the time she died I wasn't the same, but after some years, I think I became a normal teenager, kind of.

My dad married my mother being almost twenty years older than her, which means that he could be my grandfather. Most people don't notice because he's in great shape, he works out every single night and lost the little tummy a man of his age would usually keep. He's a very strong, hardworking person, he's also very kind and sometimes overprotective, trying to do all by himself. At least that's how things used to be a week ago.

A week ago, he became very ill and we thought it was due to eating a taco we left in the fridge for a couple days. He couldn't eat properly and was very weak. He even stayed home for an entire day, something he never does, it doesn't matter if he has the flu. That's when I knew something was very wrong but I didn't want to think about what could happen yet. Another day passed and suddenly, his lower back was causing him a lot of pain. When I got home that night, he wasn't there. He had gone to see his friend who is also a doctor because he needed help. They came to the conclusion that the problem was in his kidneys. When he got home and told me that, I could only think about how I would manage to take care of him if things got worse. I'd probably have to quit college and get another job, what if he needed a kidney transplant? of course I'd give him mine but how could I manage to work like that? and how would I take care of him all by myself? He's all I got. What if I lost him? There are so many things I don't know how to do yet, I'm not even close to being a real adult, I felt useless compared to him, so dumb and weak. Powerless. It was as if the entire world was crumbling down right on top of me. But no matter how worried I was, I could never let my dad see me crying, that would only make things worse for him. I managed to do the things he does at home, only allowing myself to cry at night when he couldn't hear. I hadn't been this scared and lonely in such a long time. This was my worst nightmare, or that's what I thought.

Today he got his blood tested and other stuff. He has an infection and his kidneys hurt a lot but he's going to be okay. He's very ill, resting in bed, barely eating but he's getting better and that's all I wanted to hear. I couldn't care less about my birthday getting closer, I couldn't care less about halloween or having to cancel plans with my friends. What happened to my mother isn't happening to him and I couldn't be more relieved. Now I realize that I can't take things for granted ever again and I promise to take out the garbage more often when he gets better.

lunes, 24 de julio de 2017

Why suicide isn't a matter of "strenght".

It's hard for me to picture someone who has never dealt with suicidal thoughts, since most of my friends have gone through a lot and many of them have diagnosed depression. I've also realized that people from my generation seems to have depression and anxiety in common, I see it everywhere. I've written before about people that I knew who committed suicide, and I have struggled with those ideas in the past, many times, actually.

Recently, I went to see a therapist because I became very afraid of not being able to handle it myself anymore, because I know I'm very strong, even when I feel like I'm not but this isn't about being strong or brave; being strong has nothing to do with not being able to go out and talk to the people I love for the last 3 days. Suicidal thoughts don't get only inside "weak" people's minds (whatever is your definition of "weak", since that's also very subjective), you see, when I'm suicidal I know I have reasons to keep living, I know my dad loves me as much as the rest of the family and friends I have; I know I could have a great life and there many things that I'd like to do before I die, but depression doesn't make sense and do you know why? because it's an illness. A mental illness doesn't need to be reasonable at all, if I were able to convince the chemicals in my brain of the things the logical part of me already knows, I wouldn't even need therapy, it probably wouldn't be considered an illness, but a dumb choice.

I think the part that pisses me off the most about this, is that there are people putting energy into criticizing these poor souls who couldn't help committing suicide like they are the filthiest beings in the world, instead of focusing on why so many people have depression and how to make it better, how to help friends, family, or even ourselves. Just because someone can handle depression and stay alive by focusing on the rational side, it doesn't mean that everyone else can do it that way. There are many types of depression and every single head works differently. For some of us, asking for help takes many years, while for others asking for help is the easiest part. Even with help, I'm pretty sure it's a hard, long journey in most of the cases.

How about we learn from this very sad situation and help each other? Let's have some mercy and empathy and if you can't, keep it to yourself, nobody needs to be put down like that.

domingo, 16 de julio de 2017

23

It was December when I got to work one day and a friend told me about what happened to O. Of course, knowing someone I knew in person and was friends with at some point of my life died, was a big shock by itself. It was painful and sad but I could have never known the impact it would have over me and the decisions I would make.

It was finals' week and I was printing one of my final projects when another friend of mine sent me an article. It was about how O. died, it was about his suicide; now I was sure that it was suicide. I remember standing there telling to myself "not now" just to avoid making a scene in front the store's employees, so as soon as I was ready to go, I hurried inside the mall I needed to go through in order to  get to the bus stop. The entire mall was covered in Christmas. I saw happy families, giant gifts everywhere and children taking pictures with Santa Claus, all while listening to happy songs about how good it is to be together during the holidays... but what about O.'s family? what about O.?

O. wouldn't have a merry Christmas ever again and I was pretty sure his mom and his brothers wouldn't have it that year (if they ever could have one someday). The entire world seemed to melt in front of my eyes, it was like watching a movie screen, it was all made of cardboard. Love, happiness, friendship, it all seemed fake, all of that would never be enough, no cure would ever exist. And I wondered "Is this what O. was feeling? Is this why he left? Can I see what he saw and made him want to go away?". The mall seemed to never end for a moment; it probably took me around 5 minutes to walk across it with cold sweat on my back and my legs shaking but I felt the world mocking me for hours. The moment I got out of there, I tried to keep walking under the dark of the night but how could I? how could I keep breathing in a world made of cardboard? how could I ever keep going? and I felt tears burning my face while choking, still trying to walk through the empty parking lot until I fell down and sobbed without anyone around me. I knew life would never be the same, that even if the rest of the world seemed to be working perfectly with a young man hanging himself somewhere, I could never have a cardboard life. Those hot burning tears, kept rolling down my face the entire way home, also weeks before, during nights when I finally got home and even now, months before whenever I remember that night.

It's July but that winter never ended for me. I keep trying to believe in love and friendship, and find beauty all around me, sometimes even getting excited over small things, but I can't help wondering sometimes... will it ever be enough again?

I can't forget about that article, which was mistaken about his age, he wasn't 22; actually, he was 23 when he passed away. I'll be 23 in three months.

domingo, 16 de abril de 2017

Lost boy is lost. How unexpected.

I'm in a weird position here. So far, I know I'm a boy and that seemed enough for a couple hours after talking to a therapist about it, it made me very happy to realize that I had been sure for a long time and just playing dumb for different reasons. I am a transgender male.

"But now what?" people always ask. You see, I thought that if the time finally came and somebody were interested in me, the questions would be about my name, nouns, how and why. Reality consists of people asking about my body. They all want to know about surgery, will I get it? how many? when? what about hormones? and I don't blame them, as long as they ask nicely, because I think of all that too sometimes about other people (I just rather keep my mouth shut). Truth is, I'd like to try hormones but I won't be doing it yet, maybe not until I move out from my dad's house and not because he will kick me out, but because I don't feel like explaining this to him; I thought I was forced to explain myself from the point I realized I'm not the pretty girl others think I am, and there I was, panicking about when I should tell people until a friend told me that I don't have to explain myself if I don't want to, that if I wasn't dating these people, it was ok to stay quiet. It's not like we're about to have sex and then I tell them "Oh by the way, I'm a man so now you're having gay sex, love lol". I like being transparent, but I guess I can keep a couple things to myself too.

I have to keep in mind that I'm not my body, that this is only the house, the person I am is living in. And it's ok to be a man with amazing hips and legs (I don't mind that at all), I only have to get used to the idea that some men also have breasts and learn not to hate mine. It would be great if one day I woke up and they weren't there, but I doubt it happens, so I have to live with it at least until I am ready to get surgery, if I am someday.

Now I keep questioning myself. When should I make it public? until I'm using hormones? until I live far away? should I even wait? No, fuck it. Today... or not? What about family? what about teachers? what about my boss? Should I post it on facebook and watch the world burn?

But the biggest question of all is: What the fuck am I supposed to wear if I want to go swimming? well... that doesn't happen often anyway, I'll have to wait a couple years more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBxuq_eWW94