Robyn Heirtzler - An Introduction

In 2011 I was going to die, not from natural causes, but because I couldn't see a way to survive the unrelenting darkness of depression. 

Let me just tell you, depression sucks.

In the midst of this turmoil, I did the only rational thing I could think of. I opened a cupcake shop. Makes sense, right? I went on a shopping spree and bought comfy red couches, crazy tables and chairs and expensive appliances. I found a location and decorated it in a haze. As I chose an opening date, it still hadn't occurred to me that I should actually know how to bake and frost cupcakes. 

Seriously. Oops.

So I hired people I didn't know, and they baked for me. I went through the motions, trying to occupy my mind with sugar, cocoa, cream cheese - trying to ignore the voices in my head saying, "You're not good enough," and "you'll never make it."

I had to make it. I mean, I had five children and a husband depending on me - and I'm not talking about baking. I needed to survive for them. But I honestly didn't want to most of the time. So I'd stay at the shop later, baking more, getting better. And I'd force my mind to dwell on powdered sugar instead of suicide.

I mean powdered sugar is way better than suicide, you know?

For months that was my life. I'd bake, make adjustments to the recipe and bake again. I'd decorate, scrape away the frosting and frost again, and again, and - you get it.

And I got really good at baking and decorating cupcakes. Amazing actually. And people came from all over the country to eat my cupcakes. 

They said, "These are better than Magnolias." 

To which I would reply, "What's Magnolias?"

And others said, "These are better than DC's."

And so I went to the computer, looked up DC's and ordered a dozen.

They were pretty good, but I still loved my cupcakes. Perhaps they are that amazingly delicious. Perhaps it was the fact that they helped to save my life ... but I preferred mine. 

Many months passed after I became an exceptional cupcake baker before the voices in my head said, "It's time to be a mom again."

That simple statement made a huge impact on my life and the life of my family. I had my shop packed up by the end of the week, but I couldn't leave the vision of Sweet Mercy! behind. 

Now I have my own Sweet Mercy Gourmet Baking Mix and it's awesome! But more amazing is that I'm alive and vibrant and I can tell you that depression is real, but living is better.

__________

My experiences with depression have taught me a lot, like drop all the judgmental garbage ... there's no time for that in this life. Everyone out there has something amazing to say. Everyone has a story and a reason for their actions and reactions. Each person has value and was placed on this earth for a reason. 

And I want to discover as many of them as possible. 

That's why I've created this blog. That's why I'm launching it today with my own story of Sweet Mercy and the depression that nearly took my life. 

Once a week (or more if I feel like it) I will feature someone who's perfectly unordinary. I will tell a story from their life in 600 words or less (unless I need more space) and you will see a glimpse of the humanity inside people you would never know otherwise.