Piglet’s birthday
Was an absolute ton of fun, as is demonstrated here. I have some great friends; I’m lucky.
Archive for March, 2008
It’s why I do what I do
Yesterday was a particularly pleasing day at work, despite how busy it was and how crazed I felt at various times.
One of my client’s shared that had it not been for how comfortable they were talking to me and the connection they were able to form with me, they would likely have not stayed in treatment; meaning they would have gone somewhere else, or would have stopped treatment all together and could have ended up using again. I actually did their intake when they first got here and it was obvious that they were scared silly. Since they seemed somewhat comfortable with me I requested to work with them rather than having them start dealing with someone new. They have done excellent; clean for almost a year, detoxing successfully, looking at emotional issues of theirs that they hadn’t yet begun to look at, recognizing what kinds of thinking/behaviors that they need to change and be aware of.
Of course, their work is attributed to them solely. I don’t actually do the hard work, they do. But the most important portion of my side of the job is setting the environment that is conducive to someone changing; an environment that is safe and healthy so that someone is able to even start looking at the difficult stuff. Once they do, the only other really important part of my job is to listen correctly; actually hearing what is important and asking the right questions so that it is they who figures out what they need to figure out. Not me telling them.
The amount of clients that are successful is certainly not an overwhelming number. It’s just the nature of addiction. But the ones that are make it worth it. And when I get feedback from a client that what I’m doing is helping it makes me realize that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Because I’m good at it.
Besides all that, yesterday my supervisor told me that when she was looking through charts to find well done discharge summaries to show our auditors, the only good ones she could find were ones that I had done. It felt really good to hear.
Thursday Thirteen #7
Thirteen Things I Would Like To Do Before I’m No Longer Here To Do Them Anymore
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Obtain my Master’s degree
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Own a house (regardless of how small), so I can have my own garden
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Own my own business
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Fly a plane (they don’t have to be completely realistic)
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Quit smoking (clearly, that needs to be sooner rather than later…in fact it shouldn’t even be on this list, but I put it on here anyway)
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Forgive myself for certain things that I haven’t forgiven myself for yet
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Know what it feels like to have a true partner
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Learn to speak a foreign language
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Learn to dance really well
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Visit all of the 50 states (I feel like I’m at least 1/3 of the way there already)
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Learn to ski
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Learn to play the piano
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments.
It never occurred to me
That I might change my mind about kids. It never occurred to me until the prospect of being with someone who actually can’t, did occur to me. I’m fascinated with myself because of these thoughts. I’m also confusing myself.
During the last few pathetic legs of my last relationship there were a few defining moments that just screamed at me ‘this is not going to work’ (I had conveniently ignored the million that had come prior to those defining reasons). One of those moments happened during a conversation about the prospect of kids some day. I asked whether he would ever consider adopting and without hesitation it was ‘no’. At the time I took it personal and it hurt; looking back I’m able to separate it as the difference between what I might or might not want someday, and what someone else was sure they didn’t want at all. At the time it was hard to separate anything at all in that relationship.
Soon after that I decided I didn’t want them at all; for a few reasons, none of which I intend to explore here.
Point is, when we get to a point where we are considering how we might fit in with someone else I think we ask ourselves a lot of questions. I’m doing that, as I always do but one question is markedly different. It’s a question I never had cause to ask myself before. What if I fall for someone and then change my mind about something major which would potentially mean a much more difficult choice at some point in the future?
I realize I’m getting ahead of myself…way ahead of myself. One thing I’ve noticed about getting a little bit older is that I think about this kind of stuff beforehand. Another thing I’ve realized about getting a little bit older is that it isn’t necessarily a negative thing to do so. I can take risks like nobody’s business; that is something I don’t have a problem with. This isn’t necessarily about taking risks though. Or maybe it is.
It’s not even as if I’ve changed my mind. Out of curiosity though the question of ‘what if’ has been kicking around in my head.
