The prospect of February always seems daunting – the coldest,
greyest of months, it seems predisposed to being an emotional minefield. For
Ashley Gibson, you add in the anniversary of your mother’s death and it seems
like the bleakest of months. But out of something bleak, Ashley has created
something inspiring and beautiful, with her first solo cabaret show, LIFE IS
SWEET, EVEN IN FEBRUARY, both honouring her mother’s memory, and benefiting the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
LIFE IS SWEET, EVEN IN FEBRUARY is a solo cabaret show on
February 22nd at 9:30pm, with Ashley singing a number of songs that
her mom enjoyed, and sharing stories from her own life, about the impact of
mental illness and her journey back after her mom’s suicide. Ashley’s been open about her mother’s suicide,
and how
it’s affected her. It’s inspiring that someone has made an effort to share
that part of themselves, fighting the stigma of mental illness and letting
everyone dealing with mental illness, loss, depression, anxiety, to let all of them
know: “You are not alone”.
Mental health is something which affects us all – when 1 in 5 Canadians will experience mental illness in their lifetime,
the odds are you or someone in your life is dealing with mental illness. We don’t
always talk about it, we don’t necessarily know how to recognize, or know how
to help. But, through the work of people like Ashley, we can have these
conversations and end the stigma of mental health. We can move forward,
together.
In addition to the show, Gibson will be featuring a number of guest
writers on her blog who will write about their experiences with mental illness,
depression, and loss – www.dancingthroughlifeblog.com.
“Over the month of February I will be hosting blog posts from friends, family and bloggers who will be sharing their personal accounts of experience with mental illness, depression, anxiety and loss. I am so proud of all of these people for sharing their stories, and believe that in the act of sharing we will truly confirm that no one is alone. I've utilized my network to also include posts from practitioners on strategies for dealing with mental illness, as well as posts on working through challenges in life and finding the light and love in all of it. “
I’ve been lucky enough to meet Ashley through my Loser Karaoke group,
and she always lights up the room when she sings. Her outlook is infectious, moving,
and I’m proud to know her. Buy a ticket, take part in something special, and
you’ll be lucky too.
In the greyest of days, Ashley shares an outlook I admire: life
can be sweet. Yes, even in February.
~
Learn more about Ashley's #lifeissweet month on her blog - dancingthroughlifeblog.com or by following her on Twitter -@ashleydtl
Life is Sweet, Even in
February
Produced and performed by Ashley Gibson, Music Direction by Tara
Litvack
February 22, 2013 – 9:30PM
The Flying Beaver Pubaret
488 Parliament Street – Toronto, ON
Tickets: $15 in advance / $20 at the door
Tickets are available at the Flying Beaver Pubaret or online at
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