Diane Patrick's Back!

Good news for the Commonwealth, our First Lady is back on her feet.

From the Globe:

As a "deeply private person," she wrote, she had been affected by the "exhilarating highs and stomach-churning lows" of her husband's campaign.

"When the campaign was over, I expected life to settle down, at least a bit, and to regain some sense of normalcy," she wrote. "To my surprise, however, soon after the inauguration, I found myself aboard a new and different roller coaster. I was trying to balance my return to a full-time law practice with the unfamiliar demands of serving as First Lady -- all while living in a fishbowl.

"I now appreciate that I needed some time to rest and repair, to stand back and take full stock of what lay ahead for me, and to put it all in context," she continued. "I now have had some time to do just that."

I'm glad she's doing better. The stress she went through is more than understandable. Welcome back, Diane Patrick.

Let's Leave Diane Patrick Alone, Please

I have no complaints with the story in the Globe today about Governor Patrick's visit to Fall River and how it related to his decision to scale back his weekend and evening hours. Everything in it seemed fair, articulate and without any of the loaded words I can't stand (albeit, asking if he'd resign was going a bit far - no, he won't). However, the media has reached an impasse on the "story." Deval Patrick wanted to be frank with the public - but that doesn't mean he wants to spill every little detail about his wife's condition. It's something personal and the media should have that respect, especially now that everyone knows all the key information. Maybe when the First Lady is feeling better, she'll be willing to discuss more about the situation as a means to relate the dangers of depression and exhaustion (because far too many people refuse to get treated for it), but until then let's leave her alone. She has enough on her plate, just getting better.

Wishing Mrs. Patrick Well

She's no doubt gone through a lot over the past year - and especially past two months. Sadly, it appears as if all that stress has taken its toll. Deval Patrick's is being a stay-at-home Governor to help take care of his wife, who's suffering from exhaustion and depression. Let's all hope she gets well soon.