life preservers all around!
This is a particularly challenging solstice to be a therapist. Usually during this time I can rely on my fierce optimism to not only get me through, but to be a beacon and ballast for my clients who are in the depths of despair. This season, I've had the experience of several of my clients being my messengers of hope, shining their light to guide me through the dark.
When I got to work yesterday there were several cards from past clients, all wishing me well and extolling praise and gratitude for my past sturdiness. One of them, from someone who moved to the Rockies over twelve years ago, asked; "Have you dumped that husband and gotten with a woman yet?" I laughed and laughed. I could hear her voice in the words. She was a complete handful as a client, a challenge and a joy. What a mystery, this thing that prompted her to write this card, when I hadn't heard from her in a decade!
As the hours went by, and I sat with clients who are currently struggling with depression, and those who've stopped wrestling and have sunk down, I kept thinking of the cards I'd received, and every time I did, my heart got a little more bouyant. How incredible this ability of humans to serve as life preservers for each other! This time of year is so damnedly cold and dark. No wonder we created these rituals of sending cards and giving presents. Sometimes they actually save lives. I'm sure of it.
When I got to work yesterday there were several cards from past clients, all wishing me well and extolling praise and gratitude for my past sturdiness. One of them, from someone who moved to the Rockies over twelve years ago, asked; "Have you dumped that husband and gotten with a woman yet?" I laughed and laughed. I could hear her voice in the words. She was a complete handful as a client, a challenge and a joy. What a mystery, this thing that prompted her to write this card, when I hadn't heard from her in a decade!
As the hours went by, and I sat with clients who are currently struggling with depression, and those who've stopped wrestling and have sunk down, I kept thinking of the cards I'd received, and every time I did, my heart got a little more bouyant. How incredible this ability of humans to serve as life preservers for each other! This time of year is so damnedly cold and dark. No wonder we created these rituals of sending cards and giving presents. Sometimes they actually save lives. I'm sure of it.
Comments
Yes, these messages in a bottle can save lives, or sanity.