At the beginning of the month, I wrote a post about a sexist and infuriating CPR instructor we had at work. He said some of the most insulting and disrespectful things I’ve actually heard first-hand, in my post second-wave feminist life, and I asked for contact information for his company to give feedback. Continue reading “Speak Up! You Don’t Know Who Is Listening!”
Tag: Work
The Art of Sleeping in Public
I know; I’m an adult. I’m not a kid anymore, and I’m actually carrying a kid right now. All of these things means that I need to go to bed earlier and gets lots of sleep.
It usually doesn’t happen, even despite my best intentions, and I find myself making it through a workday by…. supplementing that sleep in other ways.
Beyond the Words: 3 Steps in Reading People
We wordsmiths write to make efforts to reach each other – to play with words, sculpt them and mold them to our uses. Then, as intelligent human persons, we know that much of huamn communication is nonverbal. For me, as a drug and alcohol counselor with homeless people, trying to get them to tell me things they don’t really want to tell me, non-verbal communication is sometimes as important as verbal.
Continue reading “Beyond the Words: 3 Steps in Reading People”
Ever Make Up Your Own Words?
Language is an ever evolving tool of connection between humans, and making up new words is fun. I even see this happen among my homeless clients, work which normally has lot of frustrations, heartbreaks and disappointments. But the wordsmithing efforts offset the difficulties. Continue reading “Ever Make Up Your Own Words?”
Sexist Relic Makes Last Stand
Last Thursday, I had to attend a mandatory CPR training at work and was subjected to THE MOST sexist instructor I’ve had to deal with, like, ever.
Is Being “Mom” Cool?
I have had this crappy idea about becoming a mother. But before I confess to the Silent Priest of Public Scrutiny, please understand I do not mean any insult or disrespect with these ideas. This is my own hang up, I know.
Favorite Rituals (and Nothing Gets Slaughtered)
Sacred: “means revered due to association with (with something) considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring are or reverence”
I believe that all rituals, religious or otherwise, are sacred. Rituals connect us to a deeper current within humanity, something we are all connected to, and I think that current is God, or part of God. So I love rituals, though I don’t often focus or think about their place in my life. Therefore, I’m glad to think about them in this (albeit late) response to a daily prompt.
Continue reading “Favorite Rituals (and Nothing Gets Slaughtered)”
Inspiration Engine 10 – History and Social Work
This is a weekly post I do to highlight blogs or bloggers who have inspired me in some way during this week.
This has been a fun week for me! As a burgeoning Rennie preparing for several weeks of being a Scottish storyteller, the blog Historically Speaking is highly relevant to me. In particular, he includes a post about what he wishes reenactors would start or stop doing, and another about best practices. (From that, I took: Research and Wash your clothes the way it would have been done in the period.)
Continue reading “Inspiration Engine 10 – History and Social Work”
NSFW
After a short conversation about a klassy car parked outside the office with the pink words “Ms. Thickness” stickered across the top of the back window, my button-down supervisor says to us quietly:
“Just for your own safety, don’t Google “Ms. Thickness” while you’re at work.”
Oops.
Job (In)stability
I’ve actually been thinking of writing about this lately, and then today’s Daily Prompt asked: How do you feel about your job? Do you spring out of bed, looking forward to work? Or, is your job a soul-destroying monotony of pure drudgery, or somewhere in between?
I am a social worker with a Catholic agency in north St. Louis, and I work with homeless addicted and mentally ill people. My patience and enjoyment of the position has fluctuated over the years, and maybe that’s normal. When I first started in this position, I was happy about the work and wanted to try new things, explore different ways of helping the clients. Then I started to see the same people again and again, the revolving door, and anytime I tried something new, I was met with resistance. Later, I started graduate school, and I spent a lot of time focusing on research and macro-level intervention, something I really wanted to get into. I had hoped to find a job for after graduation (nope) or get into the next PhD cohort (not happenin’).
I Didn't Just Wake Up This Morning With A Craving 