Is it just me…or is this year just rocketing by?!  (Time compresses with age, you know!)  Thanksgiving is just days away…and that means Christmas, Hanukkah and the final slide into the new year aren’t far behind!  

And while I always look forward to the traditional parties, gift-giving and church services….I can’t help but focus on the food!   Seriously…. I’ve been backing off on the carbs and adding a few more sets to my swim workout for more than a week.   I want to be down a couple of pounds when I smother my pumpkin pie with so much whipped cream…it disappears!

But sadly…. while most of us will be over-indulging in the coming weeks….. an estimated 480 thousand people are in danger of going hungry across the county.   According to the San Diego Food Bank, the number of those in need is growing…but the supply of food is not meeting the demand.  In fact, today…the Food Bank has just seven weeks of food left in its supply. 

You can blame the struggling economy.  “We’re getting into more difficult months with the recession getting worse,” says Jennifer Perkins of the San Diego Food Bank. “We’re going to need to serve more and more families in San Diego.”

And while the thought of our neighbors going hungry is troubling in the short term…..when kids and families don’t get the nutrition they need….there can be serious long-term consequences.    We’ve all heard the startling statistics about diabetes.   Type 2 diabetes…the most common form of the disease is directly attributable to poor nutrition (and lack of exercise).   “Once only a concern for older adults,” according to Larissa Johnson with the Network for a Healthy California, “the problem is now epidemic among children because of diet. “ 

Johnson says the San Diego Food Bank is a critically important source of supplemental nutrition.  And don’t think the only source of that nutrition is fresh foods.   “The Food Bank provides many healthy food choices such as whole grains, beans and rice,” says Johnson. “Their inventory of frozen and canned foods are alsoa tremendous source of nutrition.”    But those supplies are dwindling.

Fortunately….. some in the community are stepping up.  Just in time for the holidays,  the San Diego Chargers are hosting a Food Drive at Qualcomm Stadium during this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.   Anyone is welcome to bring canned goods and other non-perishable items to the stadium and drop them in the Food Bank’s red barrels.  (By the way…those barrels will be staffed should you want to donate money instead!)

The Hilton family of Hotels is kicking off it 1st International “Hunger at Home” Tasting Gala to benefit the Food Bank Friday night, Nov. 21 at the Hilton Torrey Pines.  santp-hungerathome@hilton.com  The Hilton’s Ewell Sterner and his committee have a passion for the children in our community.   “181 thousand children go hungry in San Diego County,” says Sterner.  “That’s not acceptable.”

This holiday season, the economy may be dwn…but no one should go hungry.   We all can afford to make a small donation of food or money to help feed our neighbors in need.  Join with the Chargers…the Hilton Family of Hotels and all our community partners as we work to make sure NO ONE GOES HUNGRY IN SAN DIEGO!

It’s been 28 years since I lost my mother.   She died of end-stage, untreated depression.  She took her own life at the age of 53.   My Mom successfully fought through countless bouts of clinical depression throughout her life.   She was an incredible woman.  But depression is a deteriorating condition.  Without adequate treatment….the overwhelming sense of sadness can lead to desperation so profound…..the only way out is suicide.

The loss of our mother was beyond painful for our family.   But the tragic loss was compounded by an aching sense of isolation.   No one talked about it.   Family members avoided the topic.  Our friends and neighbors avoided us.  Even our pastor couldn’t look us in the eye to offer any comfort.    In those days, the stigma associated with mental illness was firmly entrenched.   Suicide was simply not discussed.

In many ways….things are better these days.   The advent of Prozac and other effective depression treatments in recent years opened the floodgates of discussion.    Finally, it’s ok to talk about mental illness.   Sadly, progress in the acceptance of suicide as a fatal symptom of the illness lags behind.  But we can’t continue to talk in whispers about a problem that affects so many families.

Consider these numbers. In the U.S. a person dies of suicide every 16 minutes…claiming more than 30,000 lives a year.  Suicide now ranks first among causes of non-natural death in San Diego County.  Since 1995, suicide has taken the lives of nearly 4,000 in the county.  For every suicide completed locally….an estimated 8-25 are attempted.  The fastest growing group completing suicide is children between the ages of 10-14.  This rate has doubled in the last two decades.  White males in San Diego have the highest suicide rate of any race/gender combination.

Just ask Connie and Rex Kennemer.  Their 25-year old son, Todd, tragically took his life in November of 2005.  “This month marks Todd’s third year away from us,” says Connie.  ”Actually, Todd had been drifting away from us for some time as a result of mental illness.  Bipolar disorder had been “erasing Todd” until he couldn’t even recognize himself.  This is what mental illness does….replacing healthy thoughts with cruel and surreal fantasy until its victims are truly “out of touch with reality.” 

But rather than suffer in silence, Connie and Rex and hundreds of other survivors of suicide loss cope with their loss  by connecting with people who’ve gone through similar experiences.   Through the San Diego chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss,  www.soslsd.org these friends and family members who have experienced unspeakable loss are focusing their pain on helping others survive…..BY TALKING ABOUT IT!

Connie and Rex explain it this way, “It is so important to understand what those who have mental illness feel like and endure so that we can have compassion…break the cycle of stigma and prevent others from taking their own lives.”

I wish such a group would have been available for me and my family.  We were so alone.   But as medical science continues to learn more about the brain chemistry  involved in mental illnes…the stigma is slowly lifting. 

But there’s more work to be done.  And you can be part of it.    The “Save a Life San Diego Community Walk” is this Sunday, Nov. 16.  You can register at 8 a.m. at the corner of 6th and Laurel in Balboa Park.   At 9, we’ll walk 3.1 miles through the park to promote prevention, awareness, education and support for survivors of suicide loss.  100% of the funds remain in San Diego….to help families like the Kennemers and others who don’t know where to turn after losing a loved one to suicide.

Hope to see you there.

The election is over.   Finally.  After nearly two years of non-stop campaigning…. attack ads and endless media analysis…November 4th has come and gone.    But for some… the excitement and anticipation of the 2008 vote has been replaced  with a kind of numbness and exhaustion often associated with depression.

If you’re feeling a little down in the dumps….you’re not alone.    No matter who you were rooting for….or which propositions and bond measures you supported….many experts agree, the days following an election can bring on a case of the blues.

It’s one thing if you’re in the thick of it.  “It’s kind of a surreal feeling.  For us, it’s like going 90 mph to nothing.  You’re working 20-22 hour days with no sleep…nothing to eat.  By the time you wake up the next day….you’re just trying to figure out what happenned,” said Sarah Huckabee….who worked as a senior aide during the presidential campaign of her father, former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee.

When her father’s campaign ended during the Repbulican primaries, Huckabee said….in an interview with ABC News…. she felt more than a sense of loss.

But even if you’re on the sidelines as a supporter….if you had an emotional investment in the campaign…you might feel let down because your candidate lost.   Or, you could be experiencing an emotional dip after the high of victory.

I love how Dr. Andrew Harper….associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston…described the phenomenon.  “For 90 percent of the people, it’s like getting behind your sports team where family members gloat: My team won and yours didn’t.”

But… according to Harper…. some may actually have more to lose.  He says, “The more resources invested…whether it’s financial or time…those individuals are going to be more significantly affected.”    For some, future career aspects can depend on the outcome of Election Day.  That can make the post-election depressing enough to seek treatment.

But even if you’ve been only peripherally involved…it’s been difficult to keep it all in perspective. This election cycle has been like no other.  The intense, non-stop media coverage is unprecedented.   24/7 cable news reporting, internet polling, telephone robo-calls, endless attack ads and a blogosphere bloated with more opinion than could ever be processed.  

The presidential campain has been emotional and polarizing.   The acrimony surrounding several races and ballot measures has pushed some to a form of emotional exhaustion.  And now that it’s all finally over…..the calm, for some,  is just a form of “bored blues.”    I know I feel a littel detached and “flat-line.”

But the experts say this will pass.  And now is a perfect time to shift your focus to something pleasant and relaxing.   Instead of policial programming…watch a classic movie.   Instead of poring over the editorial page…treat yourself to a light romance novel.  Get some fresh air and a little exercise.  Get together with friends and talk about anything but politics.  It’s time to let off some steam!

 Enjoy it while you can.  You’ll get your next political fix soon enough.  After all…..the mid terms are just two years from now!