I once heard a disable person refer to those not disabled as "temporarily abled." He explained this by pointing out that it only takes a split second to change a person's life. Christopher Reeve was big, strong, and handsome, and in the movies he was the ideal image of Superman. While taking part in a riding competition, his horse balked at a jump and Reeve tumbled off the horse, over the fence, and broke his neck. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, breathing with the aid of a respirator. An automobile accident, a stumble on a stairway, a virus entering one's system in a single breath….   In a split second, one's life can change drastically. We are all vulnerable, a fact we don't like to think about.

There are various theories as to how depression begins. It could be triggered by the circumstances in one's life, such as the death of a friend or relative, the loss of a job, a break-up in a relationship, any of a number of things. Or it may be a physical cause, such as an imbalance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Biochemistry is so complex that it's often difficult to pin down why a person may feel fine one day, then wake up miserably depressed, or suddenly begin to have anxiety attacks for no apparent reason.

Biochemistry is such a complex field that it is even possible that depression could be brought on by the inhalation or ingestion of some sort of allergen or environmental pollutant. Many other illnesses are caused by things of this sort, so there is no reason to think that they might not just as well play a part in physically triggered emotional disorders.

Considering that Martin Gibson lives in proximity to a civic and industrial center like Chicago, one has no idea of what sort of environmental toxins or allergens he may be inhaling or ingesting from time to time. Considering the variety that may be present in such a local, and if it is true that such things can possibly trigger depression or anxiety attacks, no matter how happy and fulfilled he deems himself to be, he is, nevertheless, "temporarily abled."

One wonders how a few unknown molecules born on a vagrant breeze and inadvertently inhaled might interact with all of the lead paint chips he ate as a child.

Hi-yo Silver! Away!