Project Semicolon

Project semicolon posts started popping up in my newsfeed a few weeks ago now according to my journals and it intriguied me enough to write it down.  Why were all these semicolon's all over facebook and why now is it popping up in my feed?  Was it just some new trendy hipster thing that all the cool kids are doing? 

The second question is probably easier to understand facebook has all these ways of seeing what we look at and matching suggested reading to our interests.  With everything I am going through at the moment it wouldn't take Einstein to work out that I am doing a lot of reading about depression, anxiety, ptsd and so forth.  

So what is Project semicolon and what does it mean to me? 

According to the Project semicolon website  "A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to.  In this case the author is you and the sentence is your life."  

There are lots and lots of pictures of semicolons all over facebook, instagram, twitter, drawn on or tattooed on wrists all over the world.  My guess is that the intent behind using the semicolon image is similar to the intent behind RUOK, and that is to let sufferers know that they are not alone and to raise awareness of lots of the issues around mental health and to hopefully try to remove some of the stigma so that people won't delay getting treatment until it is too late.  

I have at a few different times in my life been very tempted to get a tattoo and haven't though if I was such a scaredy cat I would probably go through with a semicolon.  Mum you can breath now I won't get it you know I don't do needles or pain voluntarily, that said I will most likely draw on myself (when I remember) or even get some fake tattoos to wear instead and I know you are not a fan of that either, but I think this is important.  

For me the semicolon represents many things including;

*  It reminds me that this is not the end even though every day feels like it could be and some days I wish it was the end. 

*  It tells me that there is more to come.

*  It reminds me that what is to come can be very different to was has been before because that part of the story/sentence is as yet unwritten.

*  It opens up conversations with people about my journey, and even though it is a really sucky one and one that I really wouldn't wish on anyone.  If by being honest and talking openly about what I am going through helps just one other person get help sooner than I did then it is worth the embarrassment of baring my soul.  

So in short the semicolon image is not the new trendy hipster thing to do but a daily reminder to me that I need to keep on keeping on and that my story has a long way to go and is not over yet.  Hopefully for me and so many others who walk this lonely walk in the words of Robert Browning "Come grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

Cathy xoxo