11:22p.m. - 2008-04-30
new
Today in the midst of writing the previous blog entry this morning I was phoned by one of my staff calling to tell me that the wood chips we had requested be delivered in 2 weeks during our garden day were dumped in the early a.m in our agency parking lot - the lot where a car wash fundraiser is scheduled to take place on Friday. I was suddenly in panic mode. I skipped showering, ew, and rushed off to work. The wood chip pile was as tall as me and about 15 feet by 15 feet. I was dressed nicely because I had scheduled my first "shadowing" training session with the family I will be working with at my second job, for that evening. I was in such a rush to leave the house and deal with the problem that I didn't think of bringing outdoor work-clothes with me. I also forgot my keys. Grrr.
Fortunately I have a great staff, a great boss and great co-workers and...a great dad. 11 people instantly stepped up to the plate, dropped what they were doing and helped me move the entire wood chip pile in two hours. It was actually kind of fun and we all got a little fresh air and a little workout. I even found a few adult size t-shirts from last summer's camp for those in dressy clothes.
The day flew by and I left late afternoon to rush off to my new second job. I felt EXACTLY like the supernanny - in the beginning of each episode, she comes in and observes the children and parents interact. I observed my supervisor - a really nice woman about my age - as she worked with my little 4 year old client. The home is 6 minutes from my house. The family is really nice, the kid is adorable - he has autism - but really has made a lot of progress in the last year. We did activities with colors, shapes, fine motor skills, played candyland and had a short parade with musical instruments. It was fun. One goal is that his attention span increases enough to finish an entire board game. We finished Candyland! The session is basically very focused, structured, purposeful playtime. The client, at his age, should not even realize it's "work." That is the responsibility of the therapist - me - to make it fun enough and energetic enough that he feels like we're playing and just having fun together. But in reality he has a very specifci behavrioal intervention plan with specific goals that address his delays and his parents' concerns. He has another theraputic specialist that comes in 2 days per week and I will be there 3 days per week. I can't help but wonder what this little guy thinks - why all these young women come over to hang out with him for a few hours per day. If he is anything like I was at that age, he probably just thinks he is a fabulous person that people enjoy spending time with. Actually - first impression - that is true.
I am learning so much about autism. It is a growing concern - 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with it. I am really excited to get to know him and his family and to add to my skill set and become familiar and comfortable with something that many people have heard of but don't really understand. It is so exciting to me that you can actually work with a child who has a serious mental/developmental condition and improve their quality of life, make things easier for their parents, use proven techniques to teach them to act in a way that is more acceptable to society while celebrating their unique strengths and interests, and bring a sense of hope and relief to parents who are scared, devastated, stressed, overwhelmed. I'm also excited about how it will change ME. I love having my eyes opened to new corners of the world - geographically and otherwise. This little fascinating mind, that sees the world and his role in it differently than most of us do. I pray that my heart expands, my patience increases, my understanding grows. I wonder what adventures this will lead to. I wonder how God will use it.
I feel really lucky to have not one job, but two jobs, period. There is a practical side to all of this. More money equals us achieving some of our goals more quickly. But to have two jobs that make a real difference in people's lives and challenges me is a blessing and an honor.
In 38 minutes I will be 30. And I am going to sleep just fine.
