I went to a small movie theatre in my town today/this evening to see two Robin Williams movies back to back: Good Morning Vietnam and The Birdcage. Tomorrow Alfonse and I go to Dead Poet’s Society and if I’m still up for it I’ll see Good Will Hunting afterward. It’s so great seeing these movies again on the big screen and of course, bittersweet.
The whole movie theatre applauded after both films–maybe more for The Birdcage.
I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who clapped after this scene which, to me, is quintessential Robin Williams.
He leaves us with the legacy that mental illness is for real, serious and claims lives.
With that being said, Alfonse and I have a 15 minute consult tomorrow with a Naturopath I found locally who specializes in mental illness. I’m thinking maybe she can help balance the depression that he’s been struggling with using natural approaches that augment his meds. It’s worth an investigation. And thankfully he’s open to it as he is most of my suggestions. Although his depression seems much better these last couple of weeks, today he reported the worst moments being a 3 and when I talked to him later, a 1. This is very very good.
Rest in Peace Robin Williams and thank you for all of the brilliance that keeps shining on.
And reminding us there is comedy in tragedy and tragedy in comedy. No hard lines.
Forever young, forever in our hearts.
two innocents 
I was reading about the plant/ starch diet & I do think it CAN ease any depression.
The fact is that a high-protein meal full of meat, dairy food, and /or eggs provides many other amino acids that compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain; the end result is less tryptophan passing into the brain and a decrease in the synthesis of serotonin. Conversely, a low-protein, carbohydrate-rich diet (full of starches, vegetables, and fruits) results in the highest levels of serotonin in the brain, because fewer large-molecule amino acids are competing with tryptophan to enter the brain. This means less hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and insomnia-provided you eat that healthier diet.
What we eat affects our ability experience all of life’s pleasures – pleasure centers get deadened by SAD diet.
We can prevent the deadening of our pleasure center in the first place by sticking to foods that are naturally calorically dilute, like whole plant foods. This can help bring back our dopamine sensitivity such that we can again derive the same pleasure from the simplest of foods. And this is not just for people who are obese. Yes, when we regularly eat calorie dense animal and junk foods like ice cream we can so blunt our pleasure that we may overeat to compensate, but when our brain down-regulates dopamine receptors to deal with all these jolts of fat and sugar we may experience less enjoyment from other activities as well.
That’s why cocaine addicts may have an impaired neurological capacity to enjoy sex, why smokers also have an impaired ability to respond to positive stimuli. Since these all involve the same dopamine pathways . What we put into our body–what we eat–can affect how we experience all of life’s pleasures.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-fatty-foods-addictive/
Interesting Shelley! Thanks for sharing!