Scarlett Curtis is an exceptional individual. Her life story is unlike any other I’ve come across. And I follow Humans of New York.
Originally from London, the road that led Scarlett here to New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study is longer even than the name of the aforementioned school. When she was fourteen, Scarlett had a back operation that caused much more harm than good, leading her to spend many of the following weeks and years at home and in pain. School became difficult and then impossible, and the time spent alone would cause mental anguish that continues to plague her even now, months after the pain has subsided.
When all of her friends were moving off to college, she was stuck, all she wanted was to get out of London, and even though by age seventeen the pain from the operation had left, depression kept her from staying in school. However, Scarlett had a goal, a dream, “a Narnia”, and after months of studying and catching up and testing, she’s finally here.
Thankfully, the road here was not without its bright spots. In the time following the operation, Scarlett was able to find solace in the little things life offers, in baking, knitting, and the joy that is lego construction.
In a wonderfully written article for the Daily Mail she stated that, “I’ve learnt a lot from baking. I’ve learnt that banana bread is the best thing to make if you’re feeling really angry because you get to punish a lot of bananas.” Insightful though this may be, her blog takes things far deeper.
With the subheading of “Cooking – Crafting – Living – Reading – Coping”, the site is wonderfully charming and filled with personality. From discussions on baked goods and knitting, to music and depression, Scarlett proves to be both witty and thoughtful. In addition, the blog has eight-hundred fifteen (now eight-hundred sixteen including yours truly) e-mail subscribers.
What makes the blog so special is that it’s much more than a place to learn fun recipes and and laugh at witty anecdotes, it’s about learning to cope with and overcome depression, it’s about finding those activities that bring us joy, it’s about learning to make life worth living.
After reading only a few posts on the site I was struck by Scarlett’s clarity and honesty. Depression is a difficult subject for many to talk about, an especially nasty quality when talking about depression itself is one of the few things that seems to help the most people. In this respect I cannot extol her posts on the illness enough. I only wish I had the courage to do so myself. Again, from the Daily Mail: “If I’m going to be sharing a new recipe, I also want to share what it feels like to have a panic attack. Because, in my opinion, they’re both very important.”
In addition to baking, Scarlett is also an avid reader (and always looking for more book suggestions), her favorites include The Great Gatsby, of which she has eighteen copies, followed by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Saga (number of copies unknown).
When it comes to music, her favorite song is “Summer Girls” by LFO, though recently “I Wanna Get Better” by Bleachers and “A Better Son/Daughter” by Rilo Kiley have been staking claim to her headphones, so much so that she wrote a blog post about them.
Scarlett also has two utterly adorable animal companions, Catsby and Posy.
It should further be noted that Scarlett has a very interesting and illustrious family as well. Her father is director Richard Curtis, and her mother is renown English broadcaster and cultural commentator Emma Freud. Yes, that Freud. Scarlett is the great-great-grand daughter of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis.
Famous family aside, the reason that Scarlett’s story carries such weight is that it shows all those lucky enough to find her blog that though the hour may be dark, the sun will rise. Even though she was at times trapped by both mental and physical pain, she was able to find those things that brought joy and peace, and even though at times it must have seemed that the world was slipping past, she made it here, 3,358 miles away from home to study at one of the world’s premiere universities. Her story matters because she is not alone, we, are not alone, and every post about how cupcakes helped her overcome her inner struggle, every song posted that helps her through rough times contributes to a community that needs all the help it can get.
