A MUCH Better Day

Thank you. And I'm sorry. I was horribly sucked into that pity party. Whew. The pain was real and I just struggled to get out.

Later in the evening I talked to Beth (our 21 yr old daughter) about the frustration I had had all day with the 21 yr old. I was able to paint the picture in a totally humerous way. I'm guessing it was humerous since she was laughing so hard that she had to keep wiping her eyes. Finally, she just looked at me and told me I probably ought to pray about my attitude. This from the child who hasn't demonstrated any spiritual inklings for a couple years.

So I did. And I realized that I need to really change how I was dealing with the 21yr old. In addition to this challenging person, I also work with a 26yr old guy who at age 15 was hit by a car while riding his bike and his brains were splattered on the pavement. The way it's been described to me, not all his brains went back in. So Mikey has some serious mental challenges. Unfortunately, he also has some serious legal issues. Mikey is a registered sexual preditor. Mike also had another accident this January and I think he lost a little more brain power.
Anyway, the last couple of days I started using some of the teaching techniqes I learned while working with MRDD clients. The suggestion is to give at least 4 positive comments for every instruction or "negative" comment. It really worked for Mikey. He was lapping up the praise. He worked really, really hard.

As I was praying and considering how I had been reacting to the 21yr old, I realized my praise to negative comments were terribly skewed and I needed to rectify that. So today I did. And I am happy to report that it was a MUCH better day. We were short a person and still completed a big order (that wasn't due until Friday and no one was really sure we'd get it done by then) and were able to set up for tomorrow. My feet may have been heavy as I walked out of the building, but my heart was much, MUCH lighter!

At one point today the plant manager, Ed, came and thanked us for our hard work and effort on finishing the order. He also asked if I had any computer experience. Maybe just a little. Ya think? He also told me that he wants to take me over to the T-company plant in B-town (about an hour away) to meet with the people there. T-company has decided to do all their hub work with R-company so I need to know the people I'll be working with. The computer question came because I'll be doing all the purchase ordering and making all the shipping tags. Made me feel good. Still haven't met with the owner, Ed, and Dan to talk about the hiring process. Hopefully that will happen soon.

I came home, started laundry, made homemade soup for dinner, and put my feet up! I think I'll have a cup of Chai and spend a quiet evening reading about the lives and interests of some very interesting people!