A Lesson From Bradley

I have high respect for people who come to terms with the fact that they are different and take their being different as a challenge to make the most of their life. Bradley is one such person.

He does not fall within the label of what society regards as “normal”. He is gay and very proud of it. It did not happen like magic. He went into a period of denial. He even got married and begot himself a child all in an effort to escape the truth. But the truth has always got a way of catching up to those that run away from it. It did with Bradley. He had to choose between the freedom that truth offers and the misery of living a lie. In his blog, he talks about his journey from the Bradley who tried to be what he was not until his final reconciliation with the Bradley that he is. You would even catch a glimpse of his romantic side when he talks of his love, Maurice, which I thought was lovely.

Bradley is not just like any other gay guy. He is bi-polar. Bipolar, or manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that causes radical emotional changes and mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. The majority of bipolar individuals experience alternating episodes of mania and depression. It is not an easy affliction. But it is an affliction, Bradley is determined to wage war on and win. Anyone, on such situation could easily be consumed by self pity and being too self centered but not Bradley. He finds time to help others. He chronicles his experiences as a bi-polar in his blog not only as way of self-healing but also with the intention of helping people similarly situated deal with their own bi-polar condition. He also talks of his struggle to get his weight down to a healthy level which anyone with weight problems could learn from

Lately, a new feature, “Uncle Bradley’s Words of Wisdom”, has been added to his blog where he dispenses just that, "words of wisdom", to people who write to him for advice. If you are down and out and your life is in a mess, it is people of the kind of Bradley whom you would wish are there to help you sort things out.

A walk through Bradley's blog is an empowering experience. It is one blog, I would not hesitate to recommend.

By Julehya