Inspiration

Do you see that? That button over there to the right? Yes, that. "Be intentional." My sweet friend Sara, made that. She figured out how to write the code and she made the artwork! And If you click on it, it'll take you to her blog. And not just her blog, but the very post that inspired that piece of artwork. You'll have to click to see what I mean.

This is why it means something to me. When I worked at the inpatient psychiatric hospital in Idaho, part of "our" job was to help people. By people, I mean specifically the age group I worked with was kids between the ages of 11 and 18. Our patients came to us broken, hurting, empty, functioning poorly in their lives. Most were in crisis and had already attempted suicide or had thoughts of homicide. Often times they were poor, hungry, tired, and abused or abusing on many levels.

My job, while falling under the umbrella of "education" director, was to see that really all of their needs were assessed and met. And we had a great team of people to do this. Part of what I loved about working at the hospital was that nobody ever said, "That isn't my job." It didn't matter what your title was, you were often encouraged to step outside of your job title and pitch in. On any given day I may be not only a "teacher", but a counselor, an RT, a group facilitator, etc.

My learning curve was huge what with so many hats to wear! Plus I'll be the first to admit, I've lived a fortunate life. I can't say most of the things my patients endured ever happened to me. But my peers were always so encouraging. It wasn't long and my spongelike ability to glean their bits of wisdom and food for thought truly rubbed off on me. The only drawback was how closed some of our patients were to hearing the message. My bag of tools, kind words, inspiring messages, etc., weren't always accepted or embraced by our teenage clientele. I fully understand why "burnout" is such a major factor. You have to care enough for you to come across as compassionate, but not so much that it eats you up. Its a fine balance. I am not sure I ever found it. I worked until the day before I was induced with Nolan. I've been a SAHM ever since.

Back to the button. What I love about Sara is that she embraces every little bit of inspiration that I have ever espoused. In fact she doesn't just embrace it, she LIVES it. She talks about Joy, and she is joyful. She talks of living intentionally, as only someone who lives intentionally can do. And she certainly didn't get this from me! But she lives the message I tried so hard to instill in others. And what she isn't quick to point out, is just how challenging her life is. She has been given circumstances that would humble most of us. But instead, she chooses to live the best life she can, regardless.

But don't just take my word for it. Go ahead. Click the button. You'll see just what I mean. She gets it. She really gets it.