This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle. I’ve done a lot of the talking this week. Pretty much, because I’ve had nothing better to do. Rain, rain. Rain. Cold, cold. Cold.

It’s been a mess. Partly due to our vacuum breaking.

Also, stress has been partly due to the stress of RV problems. And partly due to how we were handling it all. When I say we, I mean Girl Person. But I didn’t want to sound so blunt. But. It’s the dern truth. And apparently there were a lot of parts that went into the stress with no party. Unless you count the leaks in here. Then we could have a pool party.

If you know Girl Person, you know her friend the Depression Monster. It loves to show up on rainy days especially.

It loves cold days too. It loves days when our schedule gets thrown off. Or days that we have to stay inside. It loooves those days. Sometimes, Girl Person can handle it for a day. But not this week. She kept saying she wanted to take a bath. She wanted chocolate cake. She wanted a vacation.

And well, Boy Person was working, trying to find tires for the Big Blue Treat Wagon, and everyone had their paws tied. All we could do was show our happy side for Girl Person. Act like nothing was a big deal. And pretty much wait out the storm and wait for the Depression Monster to get out of here. But it was too cold out there for his liking.

Nothing was making Girl Person feel better. And she told us that it wasn’t our fault. She would get thru the storm again. We hiked with her in the rain.

We tried to cheer her up with meeting new friends on the trails.

But nothing worked. Although Girl Person was determined to not be sad, she was sad. She tried to talk herself out of it. Reason with herself. And well. She was still sad. We didn’t know what to do.

What makes some individuals weather a storm with a smile? Like Digby? Like the horse?

What makes some not use their umbrella in a storm?

I suppose it’s like not feeling good. Some of us get a cold, some of us get the flu. Some don’t. We each have our own imperfections. And it’s easy to give in. To not try. I told Girl Person it was good she tried to hike and meet new friends. Because it kept her mind off the Depression Monster. And although she couldn’t make it leave completely, she was determined. And at least it was halfway out the door until I kicked it out.

The Depression Monster can get different folks in different places. It doesn’t need a reason. Or a season. It can get you on a beach. It can get you in the snow. When you’ve had it in your life so long, it may seem normal to be sad. But it’s not.

You deserve better. You deserve sunshiney in the winter time. You have to recognize it. Fight it.

It’s up to you to learn how to fight it and keep those things close by when you need them. Because we need you. We need your determination to feel better. Even if it’s a depressed determination. It counts.

We tell you about our days because we want you to know travel doesn’t cure all. We can’t drive away from ourselves.

We can help each other keep going like Boy Person helped Girl Person with a talk of sorts. Showing her we had it all. Digby and I. We are the all. No matter the weather, the place or if we are in an RV that can move.

So as we plan our stay here in the Cumberland Gap, we feel it’s a good place to start getting to higher ground and out of a hole. Take lessons from the places you find yourself in. Listen. And learn. We are.

–Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

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