Support Networks

For those of you familiar with nerdfighter terminology, I've been experiencing some "worldsuck" recently. Fortunately, if you aren't familiar with that term, it's pretty simple to figure out. There have been some difficult things going on and now that I'm done with the busyness of August (Cultural Transition Program, RC Training, Community Leader Training, Bridge Program, etc), I've noticed how much I've had on my mind and it's a little overwhelming. On Tuesday, Neal (my director supervisor) had all of us give "60 seconds", which is every person talking for a minute about anything that's not work-related. When it came to my turn, I had this thought of "I should share this so I'm not keeping it inside" and when I did, I realized that it was still a difficult topic. There were a few things that were on my mind, but the biggest one is not going to directly typed out, because it's not my story to tell. So, that should hopefully give you at least a little insight as to why Tuesday was not a particularly fun day for me.

That was Tuesday, this is not. Over the course of today, I've either had scheduled or impromptu talks with all three people who I see as a supervisor here. They were all concerned about how I was doing and gave me their own spin on ways to help. It was really sweet, actually. Days like today are prime examples on why I'm thankful to be a part of this staff.

Back in the history of technology course I took in undergrad, I remember studying about the illusion of the self-sustaining person. This was back in the colonial/revolutionary days where a man could just go off into the woods, raise crops, hunt for meat, and live off the land. I mean, outside of needing other people to make/sell clothes, weapons, farming tools, medical supplies, etc. Even back then, people needed other people. While our mindset may have changed in terms of how we conduct our lives, we still need other people more than ever.

One thing that has been on my mind today is that it would have been the birthday of an old resident of mine. She had a medical issue two years back and today would have been her 24th birthday. She was a beam of sunshine in my community so it's sad to see someone go who had such promise and such an amazing spirit. Happy birthday Sara.

On a lighter note, I took a group to Carson's for dinner tonight and got to celebrate another holiday, Eat Chicken Month. No really, September is specified as a month to eat chicken. Don't have to tell me twice. (I wrote this blog a little out of order, so I hope my quick change in tone isn't offensive.)

Well, I am certainly overdue for sleep. Good night all. DFTBA.