River Of HOPE.

​So The Journey Begins

River Of Hope has formed organically with encouragement from others and my own desire to push boundaries.
It is out of my own comfort zone to even announce publicly that I plan to paddle 650 km for mental health. I’m excited to bring awareness and attention to this topic however I feel like it is the “clean” version of a complex common situation for many.
Raise money for a cause. This has been repeated so many times with numerous different organizations and events. It's honourable and noteworthy. It also feels like a superficial answer to a complicated problem.
My heart is full with the generous outpouring of support and people so readily wanting to donate to this cause. It’s overwhelming to realize how many people truly want to support my paddle down the river.
Let’s get real for a minute, many of you may not know me personally but if you do (luckily or unluckily) lol I am a very straight forward human being. It is what it is. Not what it’s not.
Mental health is not a neat package. It is ugly, scary and raw. It is not showering for days or weeks on end. Not caring about anything let alone yourself. It’s being in a dark hole and place that is lonely. 
Sometimes it’s about coming so close to ending it all that you scare yourself so badly that you might possibly start to seek a solution or not. That’s if you have one available through resources, support or proximity.
Money is great. It can be used for support programs, training and outreach. 
This journey down the river for myself will be painful, challenging and sometimes seemingly impossible. I am choosing to engage in this journey. We as a society have to remember that a mental health crisis is not something people choose to have or can snap out of like a “bad day”.
Here’s what I truly want to have happen before I go down the river. Honest conversation. Hard talks. Real emotion. 
In a world more connected through social media than ever we aren’t seeing the whole story or being honest with ourselves.

I’m not asking for public announcements about your struggles. What I’m asking for is sharing. Share with a friend how hard life is right now. Tell family members that you’re not okay. Email me if you need to but if you are capable of it at this time start letting people know what’s truly going on. Find a therapist that works for you. Go on medication should you need it.
The irony is that we often don’t tell those closest to us for fear of dismissal or the dreaded: tomorrow will be better, don't be sad. Ugh. 

IF SOMEONE OPENS UP TO YOU JUST LISTEN, ASK HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT, PLEASE DO NOT DISMISS IT AS NOTHING!!! 

IT’S NOT YOUR JOB TO FIX IT...ALL PEOPLE NEED TO BE IS HEARD AND ACCEPTED.
​
So the real journey begins today. Not paddling down the river but by having meaningful conversations about mental health.

Mental Health.
​
It is slowly becoming more openly discussed. What once was in the shadows is being brought to the light. 
My hope is one day having support for mental health is looked at as having a personal trainer for your mind. Initially, paddling down The Athabasca River from Jasper to Athabasca, AB was just that. A paddler pushing personal boundaries and exploring waterways. Sometimes we have to speak up before we stand up and paddle away.  That is why partnering with the following organizations regarding mental health is so important. 

Please check out the following:
Project All In
Center For Suicide Prevention
Brave Viking

The goal is simple enough. Raise $1 per kilometer paddled: $650 total. (Update: this has been easily surpassed). Intrinsically they’re all tied to the same context but each has a different story and path to follow. 

The end game is the same. Stop the stigma, ease suffering and create conversation instead of silence. So, as I paddle the river on long physically and mentally exhausting days, I understand that I am choosing to inflict this on myself. Not everyone gets that choice. Many people live trapped in their own minds, unable to walk away from the pain.
For those people I paddle, bring light to the dark and stand up for! 
Please join me virtually as I paddle and share your #riverofhopepaddle pics and stories too!
Follow me @lovensup and @reta.sends on Instagram August 10-20th, anywhere from 25-91 km distances down the river each day. There’s some amazing stories and coincidences to come out even before the paddle begins.



Lisa Stocking
CANRVRSUP Instructor
AQ Ambassador

---