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| Where there is love There is life. |
Following my internship at the Summer Treatment Program, I had the worst time job searching. I ended up at a daycare about 50 minutes from my house for a few months. I learned something very important about myself: I hate toddlers. Infants and preschoolers are amazing, but toddlers are little monsters. I also became certified to teach spinning and had another job at a local recreation center teaching two classes per week. All the while, I was looking for jobs in mental health and was fortunate enough to find a position at an agency based in Cleveland.
I started at that agency in November of 2013. I was quickly given additional responsibilities that enabled me to utilize my degree to help get our clients moving. I was fortunate enough to connect with Liz Ferro, a local woman who runs a non-profit organization called "Girls with Sole." She is also author of the book "Finish Line Feeling," which inspired a lot of my girls. It inspired me too to use my unique talents and story to help others who are not yet in a stable enough place in their lives to recognize their strength.
One client in particular was able to show me how much impact I could have on one life. While our boundaries may have been questionable (she was undoubtedly my favorite client and she viewed me as a mother figure), that seemed to be the relationship she needed to make sense of her troubles. This girl had a lot of trouble - if you imagine all the terrible things you think can happen to a child, apply those to her life and then realize your privilege and recognize that there was even more.
I like to think that my patience and work with her was what prompted my supervisor to invite me to apply for a supervisor position in another unit in the building. I was promoted in July of 2014 and my first day on the job, a crisis in the building ended with two staff members seeking medical attention. The client that caused the injuries was transferred into my unit and three of the most unruly boys that I have had during my time there completed my four-bed unit's clientele. To learn the rules of a new unit, manage staff, keep myself, my staff, and those four ridiculously difficult boys safe, and attend school is still the biggest challenge I have faced since I've last written.
As I just referenced, I started attending school full-time for clinical mental health counseling in May of 2014. I am expected to graduate and have my counseling license in August of 2016. I am still currently working full time as a supervisor and juggling four classes, but performing well in all of them. I am unable to teach spinning at this time due to not being available during peak times for classes, but I'm looking to get a position at my school next semester.
I have yet to mention anything related to the image I chose and now seems like as good a time as any. I have always had the endless love and support of my parents and family. However, around March of 2014, I began going out after some of my shifts with a guy I worked with. He started in February in my unit and I insist (because it's true) that work is the absolute last place I ever wanted to meet someone. I spent the first 24 years of my life basically alone, with the exception of a few high school relationships. And in my first "real job," I met the man that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I would have chosen to meet him just about anywhere else, but now that I have him, I draw strength from him to be able to do all of the things that I do and it is wonderful. So where there is love, there is life. I would never mean to undermine the love of my family. That has helped tremendously throughout this time. However, there's something about finding one somebody, out of millions of people, who chooses you, that adds so much more to life.
