Wednesday and Thursday in Seattle....

I'm getting pretty good at working my way around Seattle on our bus system. This is where I get off to walk to Wednesday morning psychiatric consultation meetings at Evergreen. Depending upon the time of year, the art work varies.

Our new light rail system goes right by here. I haven't ridden it yet; I've stuck to the buses.

This was done by high school students --an "artwork empowers youth project."

A city view, looking north.

These are some of my client's favorite things...

For some reason, I passed individual shoes; never saw their mates.

This is Evergreen Treatment Services,one of Seattle's methadone maintenance clinics and my home away from home for 16 years. Now I go on Wednesdays for weekly psychiatric consultation meetings. It's always good to see old colleagues and many of the patients I used to work with. They've been quite sweet and show lots of excitement when they see me. I see them at Evergreen, I see them downtown, I see them on buses and sometimes in stores. Once, while in a grocery store I heard someone call across the store:
"Hey, acupuncture lady! Remember me? I met you at the prison in Spokane...."

To the right of Evergreen, they are building a shopping complex with condominiums. Every time I walk by I smile because I wonder if potential buyers know who their colorful neighbors will be. It will be interesting at least because there's never a dull moment at Evergreen Monday through Saturday mornings from 6AM - 11AM.

This poem was on the table of the room where we have consultation.

Back at another of my main bus stops everyday around 7:30AM this woman is always standing here. She never looks around and just stands in the same spot,
barely moving and quietly looking north. When I return later during the day, she's always gone.

This is the Mexican Embassy and it's right across the street from my office. Every morning there are long lines waiting for it to open.

Westlake Mall fountain in downtown Seattle on Pine between 3rd and 4th Avenues.

Mall locals.

One of the high end stores that creates a contrast between the "locals" and shoppers.

A block away, someone searches for dinner.

Even I would have to duck to enter this little doorway.

Heading home on a different bus route I pass a major Seattle landmark.

Good to know!

Bye, bye. It's my weekend!

A New Bench...

Two years ago today, I watched, felt, and heard my mother take her last life's breath. The week before she died, I had taken to spending as much time as I could with her and certainly spent my nights with her. I was on a small couch next to her bed where I could lie and see her face whenever I would open my eyes.

10 days earlier, she spontaneously refused to eat or drink; she would clench her jaw tight if we tried to giver her anything other than her oral medications for comfort management. I was told many times that she probably wouldn't live very long without water; as it turned out, my small but spunky mother lived for 10 days.

That morning two years ago, she woke me up. I heard a loud sound and was immediately by her side. To this day, I cannot identify the sound I heard. I just know it was loud, vibrating within my head. One second I was asleep, the next I was wide awake. She was struggling with her breathing and feeling some panic (me!), I raised the head of her bed and thankfully, her struggled gasping ceased and she was quickly calmed (while my heart pounded). Her face was one of intense focus as she took her last remaining breaths. I held her and spoke to her, telling her that she was doing a good job and that I was with her. I told her how much I loved her and I thanked her for being such a good person and mother. Then, after about 5 or 6 minutes, I really don't know, she took her last breath.

I've been with others who have died and that particular moment is always a confusing one because we just don't really know yet that the end has arrived and their journey toward death has been completed. So, I waited, I looked, I put my head on her chest to listen for her heart beat. All was still and quiet.

It was an amazingly peaceful moment. I remember being happy for her and relieved that she was free from the grips of Alzheimer's--to me, she had won. I wasn't afraid, I wasn't freaked out; I was just very calm and the entire room felt calm. I know that she had made it so.

A young aide came in after a bit of time and was quite impacted by the fact that my mother was now dead. "She's my first" she said and we stood and talked about it. After a few minutes, I asked her to help me bathe mom; I gave her a sponge bath and put on a brand new night gown that I knew she would have liked. After that, it became time to wait and make some calls.

When mom first came to Seattle, she joined a research study through the University of Washington on Alzheimer's Disease. One aspect of the research had to do with the donation of a small amount of brain tissue at the time of death. A brain autopsy is the only current definitive way to absolutely diagnose Alzheimer's Disease from other possible etiologies that may also lead to dementia. So, I began the wait for the person who would come to transport her to the autopsy location. This was mom's last gesture of giving to others. While waiting, I called Kim and one of my sisters, Andie. I knew that Andie would know right away because we always know when the phone rings in the middle of the night or early morning. There's nothing like the sound of the phone at those hours; we all know their impact and how our lives change once we pick up.

A young woman arrived with a guerney and a body bag. She told me that I was free to leave the room or stay. I couldn't imagine leaving and so I asked if I could help. I helped lift and transfer mom to the gurney and I slowly zipped up the bag. I then walked with the gurney and mom down to the elevator where I helped put my mother into a van disguised as your everyday family vehicle. I closed the van door and watched her leave.

There are moments that often get burned into our brains. One for me was reentering mom's apartment after she was gone. It was so quiet. There was her bed with ruffled sheets, an indentation remained in her pillow and her bird mobile flowed gently with a breeze from her fan. I couldn't really grasp that this aspect of her and my life was over. So I just stood, took in the morning light and tried to hold onto that moment of solitude, calm, and quiet for a few moments longer. Soon the spell was broken with the phone ringing and staff coming in and out to talk with me and offer their condolences. Kim arrived and after a bit of time, I really don't know how long, she had me leave with her to go take a break.

My friend John who lost his partner, Ken, seven months ago tells me that some of his friends think he should start moving on. Here I am two years later and I still feel this event as though it was yesterday. Sure, many days I have a healthy distance but when I really sit and focus I can easily recreate the time and feelings in my mind and heart.

Now, almost two years to the day, my sisters and I had a memorial bench dedicated to our parents in our home town of Los Alamos. Older sister Gloria took the lead and made it happen; it's in a nice spot near our public library surrounded by pine trees. I look forward to sitting there. These days I tend to ponder my own mortality a fair amount. Doing so acts like a compass and tends to steer me in directions of better (hopefully) behavior. I'm more aware of my mortality as I notice more aches and pains and how I'm slower to adapt to my new work environment than I would have in the past (or so I critique myself). I can't believe another day has flown by each night as I crawl into bed, things on my lists remaining undone. I try to not be afraid and I try to remember that when we are asleep, we don't really know it. I try to remember how brave those who have gone before me have been. I try...

I wonder if some day, someone will put up a bench for me? If so, could it please be somewhere near and facing water?

Thank you.

PS:
After I wrote the above, my sister Gloria sent me the following. She went to Santa Fe and sent me the following:

National Cemetery, Santa Fe, NM

My younger brother, Michael died when I was in first grade and my sister, Angela died when I was in the second grade....I also remember their death's very clearly.

Little Brother, Michael

Little Sister, Angela

Tuesday in Seattle..

While in Europe, I was quite taken by doors. Here in Seattle, there are some nice ones too.

This is where I spend a few hours each Tuesday and Thursday. The buildings house two hotels and are just called, Lewiston/Scargo. The hotels are owned by a Seattle group, Plymouth Housing, which offers low cost single occupancy apartments to marginally functioning folks The buildings have case managers and housing/building managers to help them run smoothly. There are cameras everywhere and comings and goings are closely monitored. This is a big drug dealing area. I've had several conversations with some of my clients who discuss how hard it is to live so close to the devil and try to improve their lives at the same time. Hard stuff.

On my way to the Lewiston/Scargo I passed this little oasis in the city. Beautiful flowers and a nice fountain grace the courtyard of this condominium complex, just a block from L/S.

Back at the office, one of my co-workers had a book filled with bumper stickers. This is a page that I randomly opened to. Many years ago, during a different lifetime, I was hanging out with folks in "Campus Crusade for Christ". For fun they would often ask a question and then open the Bible and read their answer on the page that randomly fell open before them. I asked no questions but did seem to get an answer anyway.

One of my co-workers has this sign up at her cubicle.

I find it to be good advice for a newbie like me.

Here's the full view.

Hooray, time to go home! This is my daily bus, #11. The young man on the right with the soccer ball was accompanied by three other young men. I can't imagine that they were older than 17; they surrounded me and I was immersed in their testosterone. They talked "plays" back and forth and said many things that I really didn't understand. At one point, one of the young men received a phone call and this is what I heard after he listened to his caller for a moment:

Young Man: "Hey man, you're really close. Remember that alley where you peed the other night? Well it's right around the corner from there".

I'm thinking I know and have walked by that particular alley.
More later. I hope you're well and happy.

Monday Morning in Seattle....

Ahhh, it's Monday morning and the beginning of a new work week. From where I get off of the bus, it's about a 6 block walk to my office. Here are a few of the sights today, at 8AM:

Women line up to access services. For me, I was returning from my weekend.
For the homeless there are no weekend breaks.

I can only imagine that being disabled must add a very difficult additional stress

The street where I work...

Entrance to my office. Here I go....

More later. I hope your week goes well. Be happy.

The Blackberry Challenge...

So, the last post was August 6th...My, time flies when one goes to work every day for 8 hours and then tries to fit everything that needs to be done around, before and after those hours. In this last week I have pounded the pavements of downtown Seattle, gone to humbling "apartments" where many disenfranchised reside and made a barrage of phone calls to try to figure out resources.

I'm low kid on the totem pole, outside of my comfort zone. My head is swirling with taking in new information and bursting with, "I wonder how I'll do this, or that?" What does one do for the person who is addicted to multiple illegal and dangerous drugs, has many sores on their legs (abscesses), is a brittle diabetic, is anxious and depressed, can't sleep, isn't eating much, has dental pain and has lost 40 pounds in a few months? Well, I am slowly finding out!

I have the fantastic fortune to work with some amazing colleagues who are devoted to their work and are in the trenches of delivering services to very difficult and challenging populations of people. They are compassionate beyond belief, supportive of one another and totally irreverent which makes going to work something that I look forward to. During my interview, I was told that if I was sensitive to dark humor, this probably wasn't the place for me....It's also a place where we as employees must be very self motivated to accomplish our job; we have a tremendous amount of freedom with our comings and goings; no one is looking over our shoulders or micro managing us. We are not a clock punching group. I find that I get to the office around 7:30 AM and begin thinking about going home between 4:30 and 5:30 PM.

So in addition to spending my time in a cab (where the driver lowers all the windows because there's just a bit of a hygiene problem with my client) I've also spent time flipping burgers for an annual summer picnic for our client's. This is Madrona Park, a beautiful place along Lake Washington just a mile from my house. On the way to the picnic as we drove past my house, I silently felt so lucky and appreciative.

I've been to our local "sobering center" where I stepped around bodies sprawled on mats sleeping it off until morning where many will get up and start all over again. Some are finally ready to listen to my colleagues who gently try to talk them into going into treatment. (Note: To protect confidentiality, the pictures below are not pictures I have taken but are ones that I found on the internet that come very close to what I am seeing).


Success is measured by not being told to go away or by helping someone get some desperately needed housing. I am in a very different world and I like it. My last job of 16 years, "I did in my sleep" but now I am jarred awake, a bit panicked over how steep of a learning curve I am facing. But, I do believe that this is all good for me.

To address my not knowing the resources, I just call people and begin with a basic, "Hi, I'm brand new to this, know basically nothing about your services and wonder if you'd be kind enough to help me out?" I'm finding that it works fairly well. What hasn't gone as well is my learning to use a Blackberry, something we all carry and something I always thought would be great fun to have...Slowly I am learning and my younger colleagues who love the little devices have been very helpful. Today, while I washed dishes in our office a co-worker programed my ring tone to a nice quiet gong sound instead of the trilling ring....Everything is being dealt with in due time.

And what of acupuncture I am asked? Well, I am not giving it up, it's just on a temporary back burner until I get to feeling more confident with this new position. Hopefully, come October or so, I'll start seeing a few folks in my home office one day per week.

Gratitude abounds. I have a great job, wonderful co-workers, and get to wear jeans to work every day. When my day is over I return to a cozy little home and yard where I anticipate Kim's return from work while petting little Hermione who purrs about her day.

Thanks, thanks, thanks.

We Should Be Doing Better..

(double click to view the entire map)

On Tuesday morning, I spent a few hours underneath a freeway ramp talking to some homeless veterans. From the freeway ramp, I hiked along the railroad tracks to a lean to that is someone's home. At one of the sites, I spoke to a gentleman who is in need of serious medical attention. He refuses to go for treatment at the VA or anywhere else. I asked him if he would tell me why he wouldn't seek help. This was his answer:

First they taught me how to kill, then they threw me away.....

420 Days....

After 420 days of unemployment, tomorrow, Tuesday August 04, 2009, I begin a new job. It's been quite the ride and such a terrific opportunity. I'm grateful for the new job and grateful for not having had a job for all those days.

My new job entails working for Evergreen Treatment Services, the same agency I worked for prior to going to Italy. I'd worked at ETS for 16 years doing acupuncture within a multi-disciplinary treatment team. My new job on the HHOT Team (Health Housing Outreach Team) will involve my social work and substance abuse treatment skills. I will continue doing private acupuncture out of my home office but to a lesser degree than I did prior to going to Italy.

While in Italy I visualized having a job where I didn't need a car and had flexibility within my work week. This job gives me these two wishes. I'll be riding the bus a lot and hopefully Kim and I won't need a second car--our efforts toward aiding the "green movement". Also, dress is casual and that's a really big gift!

Already, while riding the bus to my interviews I am overhearing "the darnedest things"! (Sorry Mr. Linkletter!) A young man got on the bus, talking a mile a minute to a companion who barely uttered a responsive word:

Mr Talker: "Like the other night, I did this improv at the such and such club, you know? And like, I was completely naked; Yup, stark naked. And let me tell you, doing improv naked is not as easy as you might think..."

Thank you, thank you. Stay tuned.