"What's the Deal With Mental Health?" by Brandon Padierna

I remember those cheers. They still ring in my ears.  The constant screaming of the fans before the big fight.  You'll be surprised how noisy it gets in the arena when everyone considers you the underdog.  But the fans don't know me or my grind.  If only they could see what i see.  Believe it or not, everything slows down when you're in the octagon.  Every jab, every kick, every maneuver seems instantaneous to the eyes of the fans.  But i know better. I can see through every move.  The right hook following a double jab, the single leg into full guard, i see it all.  I know all your specialities and all of your weaknesses.  I have seen you throw that same devastating hook over one thousand times.  Thats why time feels almost infinite to me.  Thats why you can't beat me, thats why i won't lose. Everyday leading up to this moment has become the deciding factor for this fight.  My life has always been a fight.  Although ...

John and Gisselle were madly in love. They were a picture perfect couple who did everything together, including planning out their entire life.  They lived together in an apartment in New York and they both loved the outdoors.  They enjoyed the outdoors so much that they made a promise to each other that once they had the money to do so, they would move out to the country and live a life on the open plains.  In New York, Gisselle was unemployed and stayed at home to care after the apartment and John as well.  John was a director for a big time company in New York and makes enough money to easily care for Gisselle and himself. Lately Gisselle noticed that John had been spending an unusual amount of time at work after-hours.  John had to always re assure Gisselle that him staying late at work was all for her and their future together on the farm.  Gisselle naturally felt she was over reacting in her thoughts and she continuously suppressed her curiosities...

It seemed like years to her, but how long had she been drifting?  Drifting from all the ones who led her to believe she was safe? That she'd be protected from the outside world.  She lays her head down on the side of the canoe with her hand in the water, staring at her reflection.  Staring at a blank canvas as though she can see all the wrong in her past and still be able to get away from it all, still drifting.  Without a care in the world for anything but herself, she leaves home.  Leaving behind the remnants of her past and all of the values she has grown up to believe.  The thought of all the cruelty, the injustices, and all the judgement is almost too much to bear for this woman.  But in this moment, she isn't with her family or her friends.  In this moment, she is with nature and the perfect tranquility of the river resonates with her, and she lays there still drifting. The canoe is much more then a form of transportation along the long riv...