A few months ago, I posted about how hopelessly depressed I was.  I was to the point that I didn't know if I could take life anymore.  I was in fear of losing my boyfriend, my apartment, my jobs, and everything else.   But I fixed it!

I was living in the city with my boyfriend and three dogs.  I was upset because I was having trouble training my beagle.  His behavior was causing problems for Adam (my boyfriend) and I.  I was sad because I was working two jobs and still couldn't make money for my share of the rent, my dad was in jail and I never spent any significant amount of time with his side of the family, my mom's side of the family is filled with depression and they aren't supportive of each other, and I went through a lot of horrible things in my past that I couldn't imagine ever getting over.  (Adam said that I was a therapist's wet dream.)

Well, my dad finally got out of jail.  Instead of making everything sound okay, which I usually did with my family, (I moved out when I was still in high school, and prided myself on never having to ask for help), I opened up to him.  I told him that I was depressed, scared, and hopeless.  For the first time, my dad was there to rescue me.

I took my beagle and moved out of the city.  My dad offered to help me pay off my debts to Adam, and gave me a place to live.  Adam and I talked a lot before I left, and we finally got through to each other about how we felt.  He said if it weren't for the depression, I'd probably be the coolest girl in the world.

Since leaving, I haven't felt depressed.  I've been actively working on my happiness the way a student would work on a school project.  I set goals for my happiness, and work on every improvement I want to make for myself.  It turns out I'm a really good dog trainer.  My beagle hasn't caused any problems for me, besides a guarding issue that I feel fully capable of fixing.  I let go of my past.  Everything really does happen for a reason, and I appreciate life more than I ever would have had I not gone through those horrible things.

I take my good feelings seriously, without being scared of them going away.  I just shrug off the negative, because bad thoughts can't hurt me unless I let them.  I love life.  This is the first winter in a long time that I've enjoyed without cursing every snowflake that hits the ground.  I can see that everything is beautiful.

Adam and I aren't technically dating anymore, but things have never been better between us.  There's no stress, and we make each other happy.  We can't wait to see each other.  Things have all changed for the better.

There's hope for all depressed people.  I have a chemical imbalance, but am determined to get over it without medication.  Just positive conditioning.