What I Know I'm Not...

Sometimes, you just have to know your weaknesses and acknowledge it properly. I did that this week.

We've been getting a lot of phone calls lately at work, most needing assistance. I was given the lead in handling all of them coming in to our office. If you don't know, I work for a foundation that grants out to non-profits who provide direct assistance to individuals recovering from disasters. We don't give out funds directly to people.

Of course, most of the people who call don't realize that.

Emotionally, it's been hard to deal with them and I finally had my meltdown earlier in the week after talking to an senior who needed some repair done and shutters put up-- all of this before a major hurricane strikes again.

I couldn't deal with it. The raw emotion... how desperate the woman felt and my lack of empathy did nothing to help. It was too much to handle. I ran out of the office and walked around the block to blow some steam.

I would not be a good social worker... I get too emotionally involved and it drains me. I tried to let the people I work with understand this, but after my meltdown, my office mates learned that I could not handle them.

There's been talk of moving that responsibility away from me, though I doubt that'd happen. I'm struggling through bouts of anxiety everytime my phone rings as I answer and pray it's not another problem.

I'm feeling really underappreciated right now because many in my office don't realize the gripes and complaints I get, both on the phone and when I'm in the field.

I can only pray that every week get better than the last... yet, who knows?

A Grateful Dog-Parent Tonight

I got a call just as I was leaving work early today... my sister was frantic.

My dog, Molly, had been hit by a car.

Those of you who know how much I love my dog could imagine my state of mind as I rushed home to assess the situation. I thought of every possible thing... mostly all the bad. I didn't know what I'd expect as I got home.

I pulled up into the driveway, and quickly glanced at any visible signs of the incident. Seeing none, I opened the door with my heart pounding deep.

Molly saw me and ran to me, her tail wagging and jumped up to greet me. She looked fine. No visible signs of injury.

My sister explained to me that as she was walking out the door, Molly just happened to see one of my neighbors walking his dog and she just bolted out there to play. That's when the car whacked her on her hind leg, it's presumed. My dog managed to walk away (actually she ran) from the hit and came back to my sister.

The driver stopped and checked on the situation, as did the neighbor with the dog. Everything looked fine, but of course my sister was shaken up.

Just to be sure, we took Molly to the vet to ensure all was fine. It seems all's well, though she might feel pain from any potential bruises. He gave me pain meds, in case. We're on potty patrol... as long as she's doing that and breathing normally, then those are positive indicators that she'll be fine.

I am so grateful to God that it's turned out okay. Let's hope and pray there's nothing serious.

It's Independence Day in the Philippines...

Filipinos declared their independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Soon after, though, Americans took over and assumed control of the islands following the Philippine-American War.

That's the day Filipinos celebrate today.

However, it was nearly fifty years after American colonial rule that the Philippines became a Republic on July 4, 1946.

The Members' Project

Okay, so I must be in a posting mood this week...

I forgot to mention that I'm working on a few ideas to submit to The Members' Project. If you have an American Express Card, please sign up and vote:

membersproject.com

My first project is called "America's Global Village" (ID# 5496).

I plan to add more through the week.

Thanks!

It's hot as Hades and it's fried my brain!

Another sweltering day in the Florida's Capital City and I think it's fried my brain!

Mondays are always tough on me, but today was kinda hard getting into the groove of things. However, by the end of the day, I somehow formalized to add more on my plate in this great buffet of life.

I'm taking more stuff on at work... looks like I'll be leading some volunteer coordination within the foundation. It's something I'm looking forward to do doing, since that's my field of expertise and what I love doing most. Of course, this is in addition to the program I work on now... mitigation.

Anyway, tonight was the annual meeting of my homeowners' association and I got nominated to serve on the Board of Directors. I guess it's because I showed up at 100% of the meetings held since I bought my house (that'd be two meetings, if you're keeping count) and was the only one present outside the board members themselves. I heard there wasn't much to it anyway, but it's giving me insight into how the real estate management works. I'm the only one on the board who doesn't live in the neighborhood... most of the units are rental investments, which I'm aiming to convert this into in a couple of years. I'm learning a little about property management from the other board members in our casual conversations during meetings.

I'm building momentum in my desire to update this journal, so expect more this week!