The Lion's Pride Volume 10 (Spring 2018) | Page 38

Drowning in the Darkness
Rosita Ives
Drowning in the Darkness was written as an assignment for my English
class. The essay talks about a life-altering event that took place in my
life. I chose to share my personal experience with depression and how it
impacted both my husband and me. With my husband’s encouragement I
decided to share my essay with my fellow students and staff here at Lake
Washington Tech, in hopes of inspiring anyone who if fighting
depression to know that they are not alone and people do care.
There is a monster that lurks in the corner, a darkness that wants to
strike at any given moment. What is it? Depression. I first came face to
face with it in December of 2014. I saw it before, but I did not recognize
it. Hiding behind the masks of anger, frustration and exhaustion. Being
the wife of a first responder, I figured that my husband's frustration and
our arguments were caused by his sleep deprivation followed by the
continued 24- or 48-hour shift rotations. I did not realize there was
something more. I did not realize he was drowning in a darkness that
was consuming him and getting ready to make its final strike if nothing
interrupted the cycle.
When we first met I did not see this side of him. In general, when
people are dating and getting to know each other, they tend to present
their best side forward in hopes of winning over their date and in return
gaining their love and affection. I was in love with the blue of the
uniform and the red and yellow of the fire truck. I was dating a hero, and
in my eyes, he was perfect.