Taking the Next Step in Dancing Along the Edge

Hey all,

Yes, 'tis me with an update. For once, this one contains good news.

In the previous episode, our herione found herself with a dead car and had to have it towed to the mechanic. Turns out that it not starting was due to the battery running down, and there was actually nothing else wrong with it. The shop had mercy on me, and didn't charge me for the tow or for running the diagnostic. Thank you, CarMax. I was able to pick my car up last Tuesday, and it has been running fine ever since. So, yay!

My adopted daughter Michelle and her family moved to a new house this past weekend. It is so much nicer than where they were living before. Lots more room and TWO bathrooms. The last place they had was small, run down and had actual greenery growing out of the side of the house. Plus, there was only one bathroom for a family of 5...which includes a 14-year old girl who takes 3-4 showers daily. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well. I'm really happy they found the new place.

I have come to a decision about something. What brought it on was a conversation I had with Stefanie (one of my sponsees and closest friends) the other night. She told me she thought I'd make an excellent therapist, as I have great insight and intuition. I've always known I have a gift in that area, but never pursued it education-wise. I have been looking for a job for almost a year and have had absolutely no luck. The only education I have is 13 credit hours in Human Services/Addictions from the local community college and an Illinois Board of Education certification as a paraprofessional. So, I've decided that if I can get funding through grants/scholarships, I will be returning to school to get my certification in Addictions Counseling. I'm hoping that the certification plus a good almost 30 years of recovery will be enough to land me a job doing what I really want to be doing. I know it's a bit late in the game for me, I mean I'm already 54 years old. But I'm tired of crappy dead-end jobs. And they do say that 50 is the new 30. Plus, I know I'd feel a lot better about myself if I were doing something productive. I am spending way too much time holed up in my apartment watching TV and chain smoking. Stefanie told me she will be happy to help me find and apply for grants/scholarships, which is good seeing that I know virtually nothing about the process.

So there ya have it. Let the new journey begin.

Until later...