This creative story was inspired around 2012. It is metaphorically based on a real friendship that was impacted by mental health issues. There are two sides to every story - this story is based on my feelings and thought processes at the time.
This is the story of two friends, Daisy & Lily. Daisy lived in a lovely house with a white verandah and white picket fence.
Sometimes her friend Lily would walk past and see Daisy sitting on her verandah. When Daisy saw Lily, she would walk down her path to her picket gate and greet Lily. They would have great chats and leave
each other’s company feeling happy.
One day, Lily walked to Daisy's house, but before she could reach the gate, Daisy walked inside. Lily knew Daisy could have days where she didn’t want to talk to people, so she kept walking that day.
The next day, the same thing happened. Lily did not know what to do, so she decided to knock on Daisy's door to see if she was ok. Daisy did not respond, so Lily continued on her way.
It seemed to Lily that Daisy was going through a rough time and did not want to talk to Lily, so Lily left notes in Daisy's mailbox to let her know she cared. Daisy did not respond.
After a few occasions of Lily walking by and not seeing Daisy, there came a day when Daisy was again sitting on her verandah. Lily saw this, and decided to walk up to the gate and say Hello. Daisy ignored Lily! So Lily continued on her way...
A few days later, Lily walked up to the gate, and Daisy was again sitting on her verandah. Again, Lily said, "Hello". This time Daisy glared at Lily, as if the friendly gesture was an offense. Lily began to find walking past Daisy's house difficult. She tried not to avoid Daisy, because they were good friends, but the rejection was becoming too much. There were times when Daisy would see Lily coming, and look towards a neighbour to begin a conversation, so as to avoid Lily completely.
Lily finally stepped aside. The constant rejection from Daisy had reached its limit. She had tried to let Daisy know she cared, but to no avail. At one point, Daisy spoke very loudly to a neighbour - as Lily was passing by - that placing notes in the mailbox was offensive and not good enough. That was the last straw for Lily. As much as she cared for Daisy, she valued her self-respect more... so she began to take a different path that did not pass Daisy's house.
Daisy had been too busy not letting others into her world, that she rejected those who cared about her. In the end, her friends felt so rejected, they could not take any more rejection. They did not allow themselves to be in situations where they could experience rejection... which made the one doing the rejecting even more angry... but that was something only one person could change.
So... even though Lily changed her route to avoid further rejection and emotional abuse, she didn’t stop caring for Daisy. She felt Daisy needed time and space to work through her issues, so gave Daisy space to do so, hoping she would be able to again walk by that gate soon. To experience an, "Hello" instead of a scowl. It took much time for the "Hello" to return... although the friendship was now fractured.
After thought:
Mental illness is very real. Please don't take your friends for granted - Their feelings and mental health are just as valued as yours. 🦋©️
