A Fresh Start

Richard Bach once said, ~Don't be discouraged at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.~ Without a doubt, working at the insane asylum aka the youth center for the past 12 years has had its highest of highs and lowest of lows. For it's a tough situation indeed to walk away from a place that has felt like home and yet I did knowing it was my time to leave. Thinking about it, I knew one day I would have to leave but the exact date was a complete uncertainty until now. Essentially, what I will most remember during my 12 long years there are the fun times, the drama, and the relationships built over a period of time that will last a lifetime.

Let me ask you this question, how many of you get paid to have fun at your job? Personally speaking, I had a blast being a big kid taking part with "my kids" in activities such as go karts, movies, bowling, pool, the beach, Waterville, counselor/kids basketball games, paintball, skating, laser tag, miniature golf, etc. Oftentimes, when it comes to certain activities like basketball games, bowling, and go karts, I have a tendency to be competitive to the point where I've been known to ram a child up against the wall during a race. Hey, my mentality is that if you're old enough to get behind the wheel of a go kart then it's every person for one's self and the counself/kid relationship doesn't exist once the light turns green.

If you think about it, every place of business has to deal with some kind of drama and the youth center was certainly no exception. It truly befuddles the mind on how I've been able to mentally last in a place where something seems to always be heard, said, and/or done whether its between employees/management to where problems occur. You see, not a day goes by where as soon as you step into the building you can sense something is in the air causing you to be on high alert. It's a sad state of affairs when you feel emotionally, physically, and most of all mentally exhausted/stressed out when dealing with the drama rather than with the kids themselves. Let me tell you something, there have been times where I didn't want to go to work because of what has gone in the past and still continuing after I left.

For the question can be asked to those who work or have worked in the child care/youth profession, how strong is the relationship you built with not just the kids but with the parents of those kids as well? As I've said before in a past Yodaism, you’ll surely become attached to the kids who you've gotten to know, especially over a 12 year period. However it's not just the counselor/kid attachment that can have such a strong bond as its also the established bond between parent/counselor that makes part of the job worthwhile. You see, in a way, you've become part of their extended family as you helped raise their child and when you tell him/her/them you're leaving its shockingly sad news to hear.

In retrospect, it was Mr. Mike Sidebottom who took a chance giving me my start and even went as far as saying he liked me. It seems like only yesterday that I first walked into the doors of the YC and being the newbie that I was didn't know what to expect and now 12 years later I am the first of the last big 3 of the YC with my best friend Biggie and my mentor Ms. Cindy as the last two of the original counselors to leave. Ultimately, I attain a wealth of knowledge, as well as training that will quite possibly serve me well down the road. Though I walk away from friends/co-workers and "my kids" I have gotten to know I do not say goodbye because all roads lead back to where you started from and I will pop in from time to time to say hi. In the end, it's a fresh start with a bright future of endless possibilities as I venture off into a new path and you know what I'm not looking back.