i had a dream that i was trying to return a kid i didn't know to his school. i'd encountered him walking around looking lost on our street. i drove him back where he belonged and was looking for someone in charge to make sure they knew what happened.

it was an art school and i started to talk to some of the students there. i told them i dropped out of art school and one of the kids scoffed at me asking why i thought i was so special, and telling me how privileged i was to drop out when other kids couldn't even get to art school in the first place.

i started to try to defend myself by saying that i had fallen into a deep depression and it was probably the hardest year of my life.

the kid asked me to list everything that had gone wrong and that i thought had contributed to the depression and with every thing i listed (three loved ones dying in less than a year, my parents splitting up, drug use, childhood traumas coming to the forefront, my psychiatrist putting me on several new, different anti-depressants, my first love mistreating me and using me post-break-up) he would spit on the floor and scoff at me. i started to feel really angry and grabbed this kid (he couldn't have been more than 17) and said, "hey, man, seriously...have YOU ever been depressed?!"

and he kind of nodded and i said, "great, then. why don't you tell me all about it so that i can tear you down and let you know why it was a ridiculous way for you to feel." he grinned at me and i woke up.