10dpo: Ready to Pull Out My Hair

Yes, it's a fact. I. Am. Ready. To. Pull. Out. My. Hair. No joke. This is the worst part of the cycle. Waiting. And when you really dont have anything to do because hubby is working the entire weekend (we really need the extra money), you really start to lose it. I could go to Tar.get, but then I know I would not come out empty-handed. It's a given fact. I could work on my scrapbook, but I dont think I really have the patience to right now. I could write dance for the opening song for my guard girls, but Im not supposed to be excessively exercising (and would definitely fall into that category). So, what am I doing? Surfing the internet, listening to iTunes. Really not what I would call occupying my time very wisely. I could also do some laundry, but dangit I just dont want to. It's usually my Sunday thing anyway, and why break a ritual? :)

So I have a good story to tell...it involves my job. A lot of the population that I work with are severely mentally ill. And let me tell you, I have learned so much about Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorders, etc. Things that you really cant know about until you have actually experienced it first hand. Well, yesterday (Friday) we were stopping in the men's shelter (Friday ritual for Outreach, where we take shirts, socks, food, hygiene, to the guys who stay out on the streets of e-ville), we usually take a couple workers from our local Mental Health team to speak with individuals if need to. Well, a gentlemen walked up to one of them and asked if they were on the clock. And then asked if he could speak with them. Well, it ends up the individual is definitely very mentally ill and suicidal. He agrees to go to the hospital only if we can help him find someone to take care of his "companion", which he had in the shelter with him. So, in his duffel bag, hiding, was his "companion". So long story short, we managed to find someone to watch the companion while he stays in the hospital. Turns out his companion is a domesticated rat. She is actually rather cute and very sweet.

When we went to meet the workers at the hospital to take the "companion" he got her out of her cage. It really almost brought tears to my eyes because as he was saying his goodbyes, you could tell that this was the one thing that was probably keeping him from taking his own life. He was telling her that she was going to be okay and that he would see her when he got back out of the hospital after the weekend. He told us what she liked to eat and even told us how she liked to be scratched on her back. When we left he had tears in his eyes.

So, she is definitely being taken care of by one of my coworkers this weekend. The really cool thing about this is that the individual had a note from a clinic somewhere in California that stated he needed to be able to keep the rat with him at all times, because she was his therapy and was what kept him going. I find it amazing the connections we make with our pets or companions, whichever you want to say. I know that I would not want to have to leave my Blazer, ever. I would be devastated. I could also definitely see the bond that he and his companion had. She was just as connected to him as he was her. So I really hope that he can get back on medication and get out of the hospital soon in order to be reunited with his companion. I think that was definitely the highlight of my day yesterday. It really was amazing.

I tell you there is never a dull day with my job, but that has been one of the best. It really has been an eye opening two years of employment. Let me just throw this out there, the individuals I work with have so many barriers to employment that it just kills me when I hear people say "they just need to get a job". Yeah, it really doesn't always work that way. I think nearly 98% of the people I have worked with have had some kind of illness hindering them from getting and sustaining employment. Just wanted to throw that out there :). On that note...I think I've decided I am going to go to T.ar.get.