The Dream Team

Despite feeling constricted by the cramped quarters at the shelter, my social worker, Antonio, reminded me how much progress has been and is being made. Though as of late it hasn’t been as easy for me to recognize strides, with  the productive pre-holiday trajectory tapering off around the week of Christmas, he was quick to note that how my overall demeanor and diligence as it regards filling out application after application (e.g., for  housing and transportation), have brought me to a juncture far removed from where I was even a month ago. As always he helped to reframe the plateau that I’m currently experiencing as a place to bask in the comfort of no longer having to worry whether things will work out at the job (I was voted on the team, after a 40 day probationary period).

Things are slowly becoming routinized at the shelter, which for the sake of stability bodes well. Despite having a backlog of paperwork to fill-out and file, my temperament has remained upbeat. Though it is far from ideal, the living situation is only temporary. Furthermore, it is an improvement and an upgrade from my previous dwelling as far as my mental hygiene and sanity are concerned. I have two months left to save money before my time at the shelter expires, and to that end, I saved nearly one hundred dollars out of my last paycheck for six hundred. Thankfully, with the tapering of the productivity has come with it a familiarity of having money and means to the extent that it doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket. I cleaned out my cubby at the shelter, and folded all of my clothes to find that I had done quite the job finding the winter sales at every outlet within bussing distance. There aren’t any items on my wish list that are worth delaying the prospect of having my own place in a couple of months, which feels incredibly good to say.

I would be remiss were I not to note that the dream team is in place. My therapist, Francis, has always been exceptional during the two years or so that we have worked together. We did about a year together pre-Atlanta, and have worked diligently since last Fall towards maintaining my wellness. Though the thought is hardly new, the company you keep, especially for those in situations similar to mine, is incredibly important and instructive in determining the course and of things.

My prescriber is excellent as well, and she rounds out the diverse team that has my back. She is a younger white woman, with all the credentials in the book (though I am not sure of her institutional training, just what is intuited from our monthly meetings suggests she is top notch). My aforementioned social worker, Antonio, has a positivity and expertise that belies his young age.  Francis, who bears a striking resemblance to a young (albeit taller) Bruce Lee, has what positive psychologists call, a high vegal tone, meaning he is without fail or effort seemingly is always upbeat and cheerful. Though getting to appointments puts me at the mercy of the cold and the bus schedule, these are my clinical anchors for whom I am grateful. On the job front with some effort and the kind ways of my co-workers the attitude I once had, “Work to make money, not friends” attitude has dissipated, and were it not for me misplacing a co-worker’s number, I would have had an outing to list atop my updates.

I am happy to report that I click with all of the people with whom I have chosen to surround myself. The links in the chain are all equally strong, and the chemistry amongst the variables in the equation seem to be setting up for a most productive reaction.