When Blokes Talk.

Watching a band on the edge of a dance floor, I got talking to a guy I had met a few times previously. The conversation led to a point where I opened up about my personal road through the darkness of depression. He subsequently shared about the loss of his son and the harrowing journey he had been on.

We finished the conversation by affirming the importance of guys talking to each other through the tough times and then he reflectively questioned, "How often would two blokes have an honest discussion like this?"

Two blokes with a beer in hand, sharing their stories.

As males, it can be difficult to let our true selves be known. We have this innate position of projecting to the outside world that we have our shit together but often, on the inside, it's another story: fears and doubts assail us; low self-respect, hopelessness and past mistakes haunt us; deep discouragement and the circling clouds of depression swirl about us. Try as we might to make our way forward, the ladder out of the dank pit we find ourselves in has too many broken steps.

When someone reaches out and asks, R U OK? see it is as a hand you can grab to lift you into the light of day. Yes, it takes the courage of vulnerability but that courage can be the first step on the path forward.