Whom I Tell...

My husband and I went to a clam bake. There, I met a woman who has hepatitis C. I told her I was bipolar. It's funny, we're both writing books about our disability.

Steve was a little upset that I told this woman about my illness. He wants it to be a private thing, but it's so much a part of me. I didn't see the harm in telling this woman who told me first about her disability.

I guess I'm not ashamed of bipolar illness. I'm hesitent to tell my students, but other than that, I'm not afraid to tell people. I mean, it is MY illness. I guess I need to speak about it. I can tell who's going to use it against me, and who's not.

This woman and I can help each other, I predict. She's a writer. I'm a writer. We're both disabled. We've both got children. There's the Rhode Island connection. My husband's from Rhodey.

She's an open person. I like her. She's considerably younger, by about 12 years. She's just about my emotional age, because I lost all those years to long periods of insanity.

Her name is Erin.