Never A Dull Moment
Go, go go. That's how work is each day. It's very unpredictable, like teaching. I might get a moment here or there, but I never actually know if that will happen. Usually it's a constant flow of members coming in and out. Plus, I never seem to get things done. As soon as I get going on one task, another is handed to me. But ya know what...that's kinda how my brain works anyway. I enjoy bouncing around because I can only concentrate for so long on one thing. I'm realizing how much I appreciate the ability to work on more than one task. It reminds me of college when I would start working on everything at the same time and it would eventually all get done before it was due.
The difficult part about work right now is trying to find the balance between getting to know the members who come to me for assistance and doing what needs to be done for them at that moment. To me, building relationships is important. And that takes time, which I don't always seem to have available. I'll keep working on it as the year progresses though. One thing that I'm constantly trying to improve on is remembering names. We get new members every day and it's hard to keep up with everyone. Each day, about 200 or more members come into the agency and I often don't get to have full-length conversations with them. My daily goal is to remember 3 new names because that's the first step towards me getting to know everyone. People love it when you know their name, especially the members at the agency.
So what do I do at work all day??? Well, I make ID's, fill out the lunch report, create flyers, sell discounted bus passes, give out bus tickets for appointments, make phone calls, order items for the agency, etc, etc. I do a lot of other random tasks each day that I never know are going to be handed to me. By the way, I work at Senior Support Services (SSS)...I forgot to mention the name. The agency has been around since 1976, serving homeless and hungry older adults. You can visit their website at seniorsupportservices.org. Seriously, check it out! SSS offers three meals a day, computer use, a clothing/food pantry, and access to case managers. The case managers help members work towards affordable housing (which Denver does not have much of at all...I'll talk about that in another post) and provide resources relating to mental health, addiction, nutrition, and financial help.
But yeah, I'm using a ton of skills from my years in the education program at JMU...GO DUKES! Thanks go out to all my professors and cooperating teachers/staff who worked with me! I've always said that even if I didn't end up teaching, I'd most definitely use what I learned because education can be applied to anything I do. It's been true so far as I have to be flexible, understanding, think on my feet, work well with others, deal with emergency situations, tend to those who are sick, operate with no extra time, handle a to-do list that grows more than shrinks, manage conflict, answer unexpected questions on the fly, learn from those I'm helping, quickly memorize new names, use technology that I'm still learning (those dagone Macs), run to the bathroom when I have a brief moment, and notice that every client has different needs...just like in the classroom. And those are just some of the skills I'm using from teaching.
It's hard to believe that I've been at Senior Support Services for almost two months. My coworkers are amazing, especially my boss. She inspires me as she bustles around, yet is still able to connect with all the members. I'm excited to get to know her even more as the year continues. Already, I've caught onto some of her tendencies like sticking post-it notes all over my computer to remind myself of what I need to get done. It is quite the sight to see hahaha.
People are very thankful for the services we offer at SSS. However, sometimes members are in such a rush or we can't help them in the way that they need. I don't know how it feels to be homeless, but I see the stress it puts on people. There are days when work is really tough as members take their emotions out on me and my coworkers...and then I begin to wonder, why am I here and am I even helping? (that's a question that requires a deeper answer) Other times I've been overwhelmed with the amount of things going on and the work I have to do, once again making me question the position I've been given. Am I cut out for this? While teaching there were similar times when I got frustrated with how difficult it could be. Then in the midst of everything crazy going on, a student would give me a handmade creation or note that warmed my heart. Well, at work this week a member gave me a rose. I'm not much of a flower person, but that was a really kind gesture. It made me take a step back and think about why I'm there and reminded me that I do love what I'm doing each day. There's really never a dull moment, just like in teaching. And I'm okay with that. Sometimes it's not going to be easy and others times it'll be great, especially when someone is thoughtful enough to go out of their way to do something simple for you.
Alrighty, y'all. Enough ramblin' for one day. Peace out!
