Living the Dream

Well, I started work. Maybe you could tell by the fact that I have not posted in awhile. Work is...great. My sister once told me a story of a time when she was struggling with life and a doctor asked her what she wanted, or what what would make her happy, something like that. She told him that she wanted to want to get out of bed in the morning, she wanted to be happy to start her day and wake-up. As her story goes, this doctor kind of laughed, became patronizing and said something along the lines of, "Oh, Maureen, no one wants to get out of bed in the morning, we just do." My sister disagreed, and she persevered. I feel as if I have found a space in my life where I want to get out of bed in the morning. I enjoy the drive in as my time to relax, and straighten out my heart and mind before entering the world of 70 struggling, and hurting young adults. My drive into work is long, but it is so beautiful. I have turned corners and seen the lake stretched before me, or watched the mountains grow alongside me with the rising sun coloring the sky and felt tears well up in my eyes. Is this really my home? Is this really happening or am I just dreaming?

So what do I do at work? Well, first of all I am working at a therapeutic/wilderness boarding school for teenagers that are not making it at home. There are 70 students aged 14-18 and they have all attended and graduated from a therapeutic wilderness program. Follow this link to see an example. They have issues ranging from drug & alcohol abuse, to promiscuity, to aggression & anger, to skipping school with underlying problems of depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. I am training to become a Peer Group Leader which means that I will be advising a group of students through their 18 month stay. I will talk with their parents, write a newsletter about their activities, process issues that arise, monitor and discuss their emotional growth and academic performance, and run group therapy sessions with students throughout the school. A large part of my job will also be forming a safe, secure, and healthy relationship with the students in my group, as well as all of the students on campus.

My main responsibility for the first few weeks is to form relationships and get to know the students. I've played beach volleyball three times this week! It's been great, it has also been a great way to start to get to understand the personalities of different students. We also have "work crews" which is a vocational aspect of the program in which we do work around campus. There are several crews: culinary, farm, construction, landscaping, garden, and forestry. I was on forestry and got to help build a bridge on a trail through campus. We were using axes and hatchets - it is such a great educational experience for these kids (and for me!).

Wow, there is so much more that I could write, but I think that this enough for now. The best thing about work is all the love I feel just being on campus. I did dorm checks last night and I completely lost track of time just talking with the girls as I said goodnight. I know it has only been the first week, but I am really happy to be working there. Buck is not as happy now that I am not his constant playmate, but thanks to a friend's recommendation (a new Sandpoint friend even!) to get a Kong, he is keeping occupied and not causing trouble. Dog-owners, if you have not heard of these, check them out. They are also a lifesaver if you just want some time away from your canine shadow. I have also been good about walking him before and after work, even if only 15 minutes. Good for him, even better for me! On Sunday he's going to have his trial day at work to see if he behaves. The students are really excited to meet him!

Next post I'll tell you about the northern Idaho version of a traffic jam...