There are a number of things I’m looking into. The first one was that I as usual saw David at the Quadrangle in South Salinas. Great visit.
Next, I went to Omni Center across the street from the Quad and managed to run into Hal, whom I talked to about volunteering regularly with Omni Center. We made an appointment for next Thursday at 11:00 to talk about what kinds of things I would be able to do, schedule, etc.
Another thing is that while online at Omni, I started looking up jobs and in particular “green jobs” is what I typed in, actually “green jobs in Monterey County” or something similar. I found a number of things, but the one that seemed the best was a job posted on Craigslist for Greenpeace International paying $12 to $13 per hour with medical, visual and dental insurance and the possibility for advancement. I would tell them that I was interested in possibly increasing my knowledge of Spanish if that could help me get hired. I’m not as well-versed as I used to be, and they said they would prefer bilingual applicants, although they did not say it was a requirement. There is also the possiblity of bonuses and such, so in all it seems like a great opportunity. I left a message.
I would only be concerned that I am doing my usual reaction to a stressful situation (the upcoming adoption and subsequent moving of my dear son, David) by piling on a lot of activities when I may not have the time or resources to accomplish them all without making myself literally crazy. I’m hesitant to tell my social worker that I’ve made these inquiries because she may get alarmed and try to talk me out of it and inside I don’t want that. Still, the rational part of my mind says I should get some feedback. Yet, I know what she will say. She will give the usual spheel that I get from all social workers, psychologists, doctors or anyone who works with me, and that is to not pile myself with too much and overwhelm myself. Maybe it is true. But what if it’s not?
My two favorite causes, as I wrote on Facebook, are mental health and environmentalism. If I could be involved in both, I feel like I would be doing a lot of things which I feel are important to me a worthwhile. If I worked part time for Greenpeace and volunteered with Omni, it might not be too much.
However, if the Greenpeace job is out of the area, I might have to think hard about it. I’m not in a position to relocate currently. Maybe I should just find out more about it if and when a representative from Greenpeace calls me back.
I’m very passionate about the environment and mental health. I want to find a way to merge the two causes somehow. Maybe someday I really can pursue an interest in ecopsychology. I don’t know much about it, but it’s something I had heard of while in an introductory lecture in psychology at UC Santa Cruz. I’ve been interested for a long time in a school in Colorado — Naropa University. Now that David will be adopted, maybe I should see if I can get more seriously involved in the field.
Right now I need to do as a certain black Zen t-shirt says (my t-shirt with a tree on it), which says “Do not dwell in the past. Do not dream of the future. Focus the mind on the present moment.” It’s something I need to remind myself always because my mind seems to drift easily and get distracted. Someday I’ll learn.
theworldofwilma 