Those of us with mental illnesses have long ago accustomed ourselves to thinking differently than most others do. I feel this is especially true with melancholy, a sensation that is a constant friend to me. I recently rediscovered a song by the late Townes Van Zandt (who was also diagnosed with mental illness, and who endured barbaric insulin shock treatments) that describes my sadness beautifully. Here are excerpted lyrics from "The Highway Kind." These two stanzas really speak to the way I feel.

Time among the pine trees
It felt like breath of air
Usually I just walk these streets
And tell myself to care.
Sometimes I believe me
And sometimes I don’t hear.
Sometimes the shape I’m in
Won’t let me go.

Well, I don’t know too much for true
But my heart knows how to pound
My legs know how to love someone
My voice knows how to sound.
Shame that it’s not enough
Shame that it is a shame.
Follow the circle down
Where would you be?