This is the summer of hikes. I decided that this summer would be the one that I really explored the hikes of the Grand Valley. I want to see this beautiful place I call home. I push myself, even when I would rather be at home lounging on my couch because every time I reach the end of a hike, I am filled with so much pride.

There is more than one way to be depressed. What comes to mind for many is a lifeless form, wrapped in blankets, curled up on the couch of a darkened living room, blocking out the daytime world. Others conjure up the image of someone drifting zombie-like through their work or school day, as if half asleep. Still for some, it is the memory of a friend or family member, crying uncontrollably over the phone, scared and anxious and lost. For more than a decade, I’ve embodied each of these ideas of what depression looks like and many more.