Mixed Blessings

If there is such a thing as reincarnation I think I want to come back as a cat so I can hang out on the top bunk all day long instead of having to head out to work every morning. Her majesty doesn't have much to complain about when it comes to having her comforts met for sure.

Come to think of it, I don't have much to complain about either. I'm grateful that I "can" head out to work every morning.

I wish I could talk about my work sometimes but it's almost impossible to do without breaching confidentiality.

Sometimes I think of how interesting it would be if I could write about the stories I hear and the people I meet in the course of a day, a week or a month's time. I would never do it of course but I certainly would have a lot to write about.

My day can vary from seeing a 7 year old to a 70 year old male or female.

In the course of a few hours I can witness a whole gamut of emotions and situations from anxiety to fear, from sadness to depression, from soft tears to sobbing, from frustration to fits of anger, from barely audible voices to boisterous aggressive voices.

In those same few hours I can be witness to compassion, despair, confusion, humor, love, patience, caring, hope, doubt and trust.

Sometimes people ask, "How do you do it? How do you listen to problems all day and deal with all those emotions?" And every time the question comes up it surprises me but it makes me stop and ponder for a bit. Then, once more I know.

It's because I do what I love and I love what I do. Sounds cliche but it's true.

Do I wish I could join Pumpkin up on the top bunk and lounge around all morning? Yes,

Do I get tired sometimes and wish I could do other things like write all day long?  Absolutely.

But in the end I get dressed and I walk out the door because I believe everybody has a story and every story deserves to be heard.

And I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to listen, to guide, to love and to offer hope.