My lovely sister, IdealisticRebel, has graciously consented to let me steal her place for the day.

The news was released less than 1/2 an hour ago, that comedian/actor/creative genius Robin Williams has died.

He was one of the great comedic, and dramatic, talents of our day, and I challenge anyone, anywhere to find person of his generation who had a more facile, creative, inventive, mad, wild and just plain wonderful mind.

His loss to the world is huge.

In a statement released to the press, his wife has expressed her hope that his life will be more the focus than the manner of his death, and I respect that, I truly do.

And yet, I cannot ignore the manner of his death:  suicide due to severe depression.

Can we think about this for a second?  Robin Williams, arguably the funniest man in the world (certainly in the top 5), died because of depression.

He never hid his depression, or his issues with alcohol and drugs, but talked about it often and openly with anyone who would listen.  But in the end, it was too much for him.

It’s kind of blowing my mind, that Robin Williams died from depression.

This wonderful, caring, funny, loving man never hid his problems, any of them, and in that he set a wonderful example.

Depression, this horrible disease, has been taken by the Black Hole that so many of us face and so many of us hide from, ashamed.   Many of us who suffer from depression (and yes, I do include myself in that list) are ashamed of this disease, and will not discuss it, and will not own it and, most tragically, will not get treatment.

Robin Williams will be sorely missed, but his loss should be learned from.

If this amazing human being can have this disease, and lose to it, how can any of use feel ashamed, that we are some unworthy just because we have this horrible disease?

I’m probably not saying this well, but I will say this:  If you are depressed, if there is a black hole in your soul and our mind that is sucking the joy from not only everyday things, but from the great things, the beautiful precious things in your life — GET HELP.  Tell someone.  

You have  nothing to be ashamed of, and everything to live for.

There is a beautiful blogger, TheBloggess, who says it best;  DEPRESSION LIES.

We will probably never know what lies depression whispered to Robin Williams, but in the end, he listened.

Don’t listen to Depression.

Listen to life, listen to the people around you who are telling you they love you and that it will get better.  It can be hard — impossible almost — to believe that it will get better, but it will get better.   Fight the shame, fight the fear, fight the depression and its lies, but don’t fight the love and light that surrounds you.

Let things get better.  It is not easy, and it takes work, but the work is worth it.

The work is worth it.  

AND SO ARE YOU.