Connection
Every Saturday morning I co-lead a therapy group for patients with all sorts of severe mental illness. All of them are between 40 to 70 years old, take medication regularly, and get some disability benefits. Some of them are able to hold a low-wage job; some of them are not able to work. In the group, they speak about what happened on that week and how they feel. Most of the time, they read newspapers, make coffee, and color with color pencils. While listening to other people's stories, they don't make eye contact. They may respond if I ask them to do so. Otherwise, they would just be there quietly coloring the sheets. I don't think I could understand their world at all but somehow I feel a connection with them- beyond language, culture, logic and reasoning. A surreal and spiritual connection among human creatures.