My Father’s Birthday
by Ana Vallejo from Brooklyn, NY
My father has a very advanced stage of schizophrenia which makes communication difficult between us. Maybe it’s all in my head but he tends to say short phrases that are relevant to my thoughts.
Lately, I have come to the realization that much of my overthinking is tied to victimization. I get stuck in situations where I feel attacked and misunderstood and then I recriminate myself for playing the victim role.
Today is my father’s birthday. I called him to congratulate him and he said: “When you don’t feel good you don’t make others feel good, stay away from that”. I am following this advice and learning to come to peace with myself. I deserve to be happy.
