I think that sometimes we need to step back from the craziness, and find some kind of comic relief in living with bipolar disorder. So, I wanted to share a funny story.

I've been in a slightly hypomanic state for the last few days. Nothing serious, the med's usually take care of that, but there were the usual signs (I've read about 6 books in the last 3 days during late night endless reading sessions.) Not much more then that, relatively calm on my spectrum.

Then, tonight I went home for dinner with my family. While everyone else went seperate ways after dinner was finished, I stayed to do the dishes. Now, there is a window right above my sink. I looked outside for a second and  saw a huge dear running through my back yard (I live in a really urban area- this is unheard of).

So, I had to tell someone. My brother believed me and took off on his bike in an attempt to find the dear. My dad got really concerned, thinking I was creeping into a full blown mania with hallucinations. Then I called the police, I was concerned about a huge deer running around especially because their was a t-ball game going on at the park down the street- the same direction that the deer was headed.

The 911 operator completely blew me off. I could even imagine her face as I explained that a deer was rampantly running around the neighboorhood, indangering the welfare of the kids.

She thought I was crazy. As I hung up the phone I started to wonder if I'm going to spend the rest of my life feeling like I have one of those "HELLO my name is..." stickers on my shirt. Except it won't have my name, only bipolar, only crazy, only untrustworthy.

Now I'm stepping back. No one believes me that there was a deer. The more people that I tell the more think that I'm just plain nuts. I'll just have to live on the satisfaction that no one else got a chance to see it, almost majestically jumping over the neighborhood fences.

Then I laugh, because now I can really sympathize with the man who first saw the lockness monster. He must have been stuck with a "HELLO my name is bipolar" sticker too.

We're told that what we see is reality, "To see is to believe." However, Religion tells us that what we do not see is what reality is.

The reality for me is that I will always be stuck in between those two worlds. There is something comedic in that, and something beautiful at the same time. I don't really have to choose sides.

Yet the rest of the world has chosen... reality is a deer in the forest, not in my backyard, because that's what can be seen. As for me, I don't even care if anyone believes me or not, because that's my life now. Sweet lockness monster bipolar life.

Has anyone else ever experienced something like this? I would LOVE to hear your stories!