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Thank you Christina for sharing your life with us. Your light shines brightly.
As a child I would "help" mom in the kitchen. I was fascinated by the smells of herbs cooking in a sauce, roasts or chicken cooking. I loved the preparation it took to make a meal.
At 17 at the Binghamton Psychiatric Center, after I was transferred to a transitional building, we were required to cook one supper meal a week. We had to plan it, walk to the grocery store,and then cook. That was my first time cooking for alot of people (about 8 of us). Around that time "they" were trying to find me a job. I did laundry for awhile. I was also a janitor. Both jobs I hated. Then I got the job that would determine how my life would go. I started work at the Community Store. The was the best job ever!
You mentioned reinventiing yourself. I have been doing that through my speaking gigs. I get such a rush when someone comes up to me and tells me thanks and says I helped them. I told the vocational counselor at the state hospital that I wanted to be a peer counselor or a peer advocate. Helping people is wonderful. I often wonder if I missed my calling. Maybe I did years ago. Thankfully I found it now.
Live, love, laugh, learn, listen,
David
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It's great that you've been able to learning and continuing in your education. I myself am a firm believer that as someone in recovery, it is important to keep moving and learning. Recently, I've become very frustrated with one of my friends. Even though she is a capable and intelligent person, she chooses to live in the past of what-if's and comparisons with people without mental illness. As a result, she never has any initiative to do or try anything new. After five years of being her friend, I've given up on her for a lost cause. My main problem is her unhealthy attitude of "I can't". She has all kinds of excuses. She be-moans the fact that she used to work as an administrative assistant and often seems to re-visit those days as to convince herself that her life is over and she doesn't need to try any further. I believe that if a person keeps on trying and gets knocked down, he/she is better than someone who never dared try at all. For all of you out there in recovery, keep going. I certainly am.
Hi Tweeter,
Thank you for your kind words, as always they are welcome.
What I had before I became a librarian wasn't anything I missed, luckily.
We all have to mourn, and move on.
Maybe one day your friend will come to understand that a job isn't a reflection of someone's worth, yet there are other jobs that could satisfy her just as well.
Cheers,
Chris