Songs of a Social Worker

Events over the past couple of months have compelled me to meditate on life and relationships.  A couple of weekends ago, my dear friend John was killed in a car crash.  His partner Bonnie and their son Spencer are both here in Halifax at the IWK.  Spencer is paralyzed from the waist down.  How to process this loss?  So soon after dear Valerie's sudden passing.  I have learned that I must appreciate the time I have with my family and friends, to absorb every moment with them as though it were the last, to ensure that those most dear know how loved they are.  Life cannot be taken for granted.  I have been deeply blessed, and so I must be thankful at every opportunity. 

Well it had to happen eventually.  Colleen has been struck by the love bug!  It all started last February when I agreed to help my friend Kelley and her husband Chris move into their first home.  No dressing up for this outing - just a pair of jeans, an old university sweat shirt, and my hair pulled back in a ponytail.  A man by the name of Ronnie Steele was also included in the ranks, and I admit, I found him attractive and extremely funny.  But I thought nothing of it because I wasn't exactly looking my finest after a long day of hauling furniture and boxes.  Fast forward a month, and Kelley invites me to Ronnie's surprise 30th birthday party.  I thought, hey why not, he's a nice guy, and it's something to do.  We give him a nice surprise, and I notice immediately that he's sticking rather close to me.  I mention this to my friend Kelley, and then mention that I think he's kinda cute.  All of a sudden, Sonya (who was also present at the move) pulls me and Kelley into a bedroom and tells me that Ronnie has been asking about me since the aforementioned day.  Armed with this new information, I start chatting it up with Ronnie even more, and then he summons the courage to ask me for my phone number.  And we've been going strong ever since.  Sigh.  I never knew it could be so easy.  To be with someone whose actions and words require no great analysis because what you see is what you get - a kind, plain speaking boy from Cape Breton, who can hold his own in a crowded room, drum up a few laughs, and respect silence when the moment calls for it.  Yes I'm quite smitten . . . ;)

Work has kept me busy these days.  I arrive each morning, stare at the paperwork, become overwhelmed, and then start wading my way through.  When the clock strikes  4:30 p.m. and it's time to go home, it feels as though I've accomplished nothing.  And the demands continue.  Last week, Justice S. tells me that the Agency needs to make more of an effort to track down a drug addict who left her baby in the hospital to undergo detox.  She skips town and I find myself on the road, travelling to Cape Breton to pay a surprise visit.  I will admit, it wasn't too difficult finding her.  After all, so many are quick to give up their kids, but not so quick to give up their money.  All it took was a single call to Income Assitance in her county and I had an address.  And sure enough, as soon as I grace her doorstep, she tells me that she wants nothing to do with the kid and says that she moved here to have a fresh start.  Fresh start?  The place reeks of pot (coke addicts use pot to kill the craving until they can go on another run), and she's not even looking me in the eye.  She knows she's fucked up.  Her toothless wonder of a boyfriend starts getting all confrontational with me, and so I don't waste too much time there, despite the three and a half hour drive there and back.  You have to shake your head.  So I go back to court tomorrow to tell the judge what we all knew to be true - she's made her choice and the choice is cocaine and anything else she can get her hands on.  And she'll have more baby addicts because she's young, and that's the pattern.  Cynical?  Sure, but it's also the reality.  If you've ever had the pleasure of watching a newborn go through withdrawal, I'm sure you too would grow a little jaded.  I have been so exhausted these days.  You close one file, and another lands on your desk.  The same ole thing, just different names. 

Thanks to the direction of my dearest Cousin, who assures me that I am more than a child welfare worker, I have joined the Girly Book Club.  The description of the group as outlined on the Canadian Book Clubs website reads:

 

"The bookclub in Halifax is just being called Girly book club and is specifically for women only who are interested in reading:

I'm so happy to have the weekend here at last.  This week felt incredibly long despite being only four days long. 

 

Everyone wants a piece of you in this job.  I had 27 messages waiting for me on Tuesday when I arrived at work.  And everybody is wondering where I am and why haven't I phoned.  I barely had a chance to sit at my desk this week.  I was out running the roads, catching up on long overdue home visits.  I wish my families could understand that I am trying my best, but there is only one of me, and a multitude of them! 

 

I was able to spend some time with Lita this week.  She had me and a group of ladies over to her place on Wednesday night for a potluck and a few drinks.  Quite an assorted crowd, and the only thing each of us had in common was the hostess herself.  Great fun!  And plenty of laughs as we all relaxed in one another's company.  Some of the women present: a film director, a radio personality and newspaper columnist, an English student, an N.G.O. worker (she was leaving for Bolivia the next day), and a G.A.P. retail clerk.  Imagine the dialogue!  And Lita was such an excellent hostess, and knew that we would all get along splendidly. 

 

Thursday night saw me and a few colleagues out for beer and wings at the Peel Pub and then aross the street at the Oasis for karioke.  Geoff, Karen and I sang Tom Cochrane's greatest (and only) hit, "Life is a Highway."  And the whole room was clapping and singing along.  And Estelle and Stacey created a dance floor by the stage.  It turned out to be a late evening, but I was still able to get up the next day and put in a full day's work, unlike everyone else who had the day off. 

 

My friend Kupa arrives in town briefly this week, and I am looking forward to seeing her.  It's been so long since our paths last crossed. 

 

I cannot believe that the fall is approaching so steadily!  The days are starting to feel shorter and there's a chill in the air after sunset.  I do enjoy the fall, and this year especially as I will be making my way to Winnipeg at the end of October.  Another vacation, and this time I won't be in the city to be pulled into work when things go sour on my caseload. 

Today is my flex day, and I am enjoying the freedom that comes with it.  I got up this morning and went for a run before cuddling up on my couch with a good book.  The sun is shining and I think I'll make my way shortly to the Public Gardens and stretch out on a bench.  Hopefully it won't be too busy that I can't find a quiet spot.

 

I cannot believe that the summer is nearly over!  An access worker phoned me up at the office the other day to discuss the fall access schedule and I laughed initially because I thought she was just being eager, but the joke is on me because school starts up in just a couple of weeks and I have a lot to do before then!

 

My niece turned 8 years old yesterday.  I can't believe how tall she is!  My sister threw her a party, and unfortunately I was not able to make it, but she knows how much I adore her.