Back to Reality…

Original Post: 29/06/2016

Happy Birthday to my Dad. It is the second birthday since he died and ‘second’ is going to be the theme of this small blog. 

Now many people may disagree with me but I think the second year is possibly harder than the first. Because its back to reality.

The first year you miss the person you have lost, you have certain time off, you have the adrenaline to get by and it’s all fresh. Its super hard do get me wrong. 

However seconds of stuff is hard because its admitting that life has to go on, Dad is gone forever, every year there will be dates that are hard but it’s no longer possible to all be together on these days, and you have to make a conscious choice to carry on. Seconds drive home that there will be thirds, and fourths and fifths. Seconds mean its becoming old news, you’ve been coping for a while, it’s becoming a further away memory.

This blog is for keeping Dad’s memory alive and hoping our story as a family can give strength to those who reality is Mental health issues.

My family and I have decided to create a tradition, so that if we are together or if we are not together on Dad’s birthday we can still celebrate together. And we are all going to eat some of Dad’s favorite chocolate. We will each deal with the day different and remember Dad in our own way but there is this one piece of unity together even though we all have work in different parts of the UK. 

I have had  a very busy week, ups and downs, also managing to hurt my ankle (which I am resting as I write this)

It’s very easy to get caught up in life, good and bad, and a day like today is a reminder to me that no matter how busy I am, it is important I switch the light on mental health in the hope that other people wont be celebrating the birthdays of loved ones in the same circumstances as me. 

This is a short post, in between work and celebrating Dad’s life with a spot of crazy golf this evening, I want to be a reminder that mental health is not an issue that comes and goes. Take time to make sure everyone around you gets a smile from you, if that’s the least you can do, then do it. 

Suicide among men is a real issue we have in this country and is something that has to change. 

If you are curious for more information on Mental health, please visit the MIND website.

If you would like to explore my other blogs, about my Dad and mental health, explore away.

Now I’m off to hobble around crazy golf and eat a Twix in the loving memory of my hero, my Dad.