This post has really raised a lot of conflict within me. I do understand what you are trying to say, I understand the intention of not wanting to be stereotyped into the "oh, they're just depressed" category, but along with that I feel like you are invalidating some people's experiences with depression.
In this post I feel as if there is a big divide between being depressed and having depression. What I mean by this is that being depressed sounds almost temporary, like something happens to make you feel depressed for a while and then it moves along once you heal. Actually having depression is different, for many people it is a daily thing and a very long struggle. Your experience is clearly different as you talk about not being depressed every moment of your life.
Your post is very biased and only really telling your side of things. Some people do let their depression define them because that's the only way they can make sense of their feelings. Some people have bad experiences that cause them to develop it whereas others are seemingly born with it. I fall into the latter category, I have been depressed for as long as I can remember and it is only recently that I discovered a way to describe the feelings I struggled with since I was around four years old.
You optimism about getting better is something so may of us wish we had. But the truth is that many of us don't have that, we hope and wish and struggle but we don't know when the feeling will pass. It's very hard sometimes to want to do something but not have the energy because depression is a physical thing as well as mental. It causes us to lose hope. It causes our motivation to disappear. It makes us fall out of love with hobbies that we once had. And it makes us hate ourselves for not being able to motivate ourselves to do something. Some days I don't even get out of bed because the feelings are so overwhelming that I can't bear to do anything or go anywhere because I know it wont end well for me. Having emotional breakdowns or panic attacks in public is not a good experience. And sometimes we need to rest and let our bodies and minds sort themselves out, it's called self care.
You are right in saying that we are more than our medical terms. It's true, we are human beings and we have way more to us than depression. I do respect you and think you're awesome in the way in which you stay so optimistic. But as you said "Depression is hard to explain to someone who has not walked in your shoes". There are many different pairs of shoes to depression out there, I hope you will never walk in mine.
Much love and happiness to you - DA