A friend of mine had a moment the other night, as he sat in my big chair and bitched about his life.

I love the guy, but after hearing the same stuff over, and over, I tried to break through and get him to talk about reasons and solutions.

Well, apparently that was a friendship mistake. He stormed out the door angry, as my departure to Florida looms.

I'm afraid that he's caught up in this depression loop, where you convince yourself that everyone around you is against you, and that becomes your reality.

Your wife doesn't love you, her grown ass son has to leave his mom's house, otherwise it's divorce. You hate your mom, you hate your dad, you're broken because your two sons, that you love, are spending Christmas with their Mom, you're ex-wife, that you hate with a passion.

I get it! All you want to do now, as this vicious thing called Christmas approaches, is to bottom out and drown in it, until it passes.

I've been there, a couple of times since I've lived here, I understand.

I wish I could give you a spark of inspiration, like the one I've received from Shelby.

Don't die without going for it! Lose the hate, create the love, get over everything!

Meanwhile my estranged daughter sent me a Christmas card.