I have depression. I come by it genetically.

In my body, serotonin-- a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep, appetite, and a few other things-- has a hard time getting to the places it's supposed to be going.

I can regulate my depression with medication, and have been doing so for over five years. However, I still have a tendency to look at the negative side of things. To always see the glass as half-empty.

Luckily, I was not short-changed on my sense of humor, or on my ability to appreciate life. It's just hard for me to focus on these things. This is where Jangly Ganglia comes in.

The Project

Daily, I post something I experienced that day that made my serotonin flow. Preferably something funny or wacky-- I am a connoisseur of life's incongruities. However, every day doesn't contain wackiness, so I at least post something beautiful or positive. I really do experience something that fits in to one of these categories every day, and I'm sure almost everyone does. I record mine here so I remember them and can't deny them.

This project helps me dwell on the positive, rather than the negative. The public nature of the blog format helps me keep my commitment to myself. Hopefully it also provides fodder for others like me that need to actively stay on top of their neurotransmitters.

The Future

I hope to grow this site in the future. I would like to open it up to a community of folks that want to make the same committment to themselves and post something positive (or better yet wacky) every day. I envision a group of folks living with depression that can inspire each other and tickle each others' funny bones. There are a lot of creative people out there with similar difficulties with their biology. I would like to see them celebrated.

I am entering this site in the ExpressionEngine shootout in hopes of winning a free personal license and forum module, which will allow me to set up an maintain a community.