Life is about perspective I think. *** Grew up mostly in a small town, on the Salish Sea. Roughly 2 hours outside of the city Seattle. Ever since I can remember, I have struggled with depression. A sense of purposelessness, a lack, or loss of meaning. *** When I was in my early 20s I dropped out of my studies in psychology, and began traveling. Working odd jobs here and there. Always, in the end, circling back to Washington State. *** For much of my life I considered my depression to be a burden. One that - if I were to have lasting relationships - I would have to carry alone. *** When somewhere around the base of Mt. Vesuvius, in a camp site, populated with an array of shabby backpackers, and cyclists I was taught a lesson that has followed me ever since. There is only beauty in the world, because there is ugliness. happiness, and sorrow are two sides of the same coin, and as we experience one, we in turn acquire the capacity to expand our understanding of its antithesis.