Grief Studies, Pledge Drive and Retail Therapy

I think I am doing OK. But how would I know?!?

I told "the story" in my Addictions class last night. I almost made it through without crying, but by the end almost everyone was crying. And the class was so still and quiet. I have absorbed enough of this story by now that it's not a shock to me anymore, but I forget how it affects other people until I tell someone else.
I took questions and assured everyone that Bean and I were doing fine and that we were, indeed, getting the support we needed. I opened myself up to these budding social workers... we talked about what we might see in our clients - grief and illness and addiction and I gave them my opinion about what helped me and what didn't. (Yoga, knitting and Xanax? Helpful. Supportive friends and family? Very helpful. Mother in law? Not so helpful. Credit card company? Not at all helpful). But since we often don't think about some things until we have to... like who cleans up after someone dies in the home? Especially if it is a violent death. How do we support a client going through something like this in a way that will be helpful?

We also talked about what happens when we become emotional as we listen to our client's stories... how to stay professional and not make it "about us."

I keep getting this feeling that something is (not so subtly) suggesting that I might consider a career in grief therapy. I am not opposed to this. Grief is a whole different bear... because you have all of the crap of life to deal with... and also this complicated process.

I did get some more sleep last night... I took a double dose of my sleepy pills (freak not, dear readers, I take this and you can double it without fear... ) an hour before I wanted to go to bed and shortly after the second running of The Colbert Report (did you see it? Hi-Larious) I was asleep.

But of course, it's pledge drive, so I was up early this morning, running late and cursing at traffic.
Make sure you are supporting your public radio... blah blah blah.

I placed another Loopy Ewe order last night... and also downloaded some Eddie Izzard from iTunes... and ordered some summer clothes.
I need to get this retail therapy thing under control.

Perhaps with actual therapy?!?