“And Who is my neighbor?” WHY DOES HE DO IT? Two days a week, our trash goes out to the side of the road. On one of those days the recyclable containers are added. Once the cans are out, they are forgotten, even if the big noisy collection truck is heard. Later in the day, the emptied cans appear near our garage. Who brings them up? It has to be one of our neighbors.

I will never forget the morning I asked a friend, “How are you?’ and he answered, “Battling the black dog!” I responded, “What does that mean – the black dog?” “You’re not familiar with that term?” He asked. “Not at all.” “It’s depression. Winston Churchill called it ‘the black dog’.” “I am very sorry. How are you battling?” Before he could answer, we heard the signal for our meeting to begin. My thoughts turned toward Depression. It was only in retrospect that I surmised my friend used that term with me because of my work as a mental health counselor.

“Who said it?” I asked. My cousin and friend Claire responded to my text: I have no idea who said it. I saw it somewhere and thought, ‘I don’t know about this, let me think.' The opposite of fear isn't hope. Both fear and hope are stories we tell ourselves about the future. The opposite of fear is staying in the now.