Leaving the city on a floatplane shakes the city off of me in minutes.
The harbor separates the North Shore from downtown Vancouver and creates a unique community close to the wilderness and the wildlife.
Sailing into Howe Sound in the summer we pass in between Horseshoe Bay (right) and Bowen Island (left). There is almost a gaurantee of wind in the Sound, created by the inlflow and outflow of the land breeze in this wind tunnel.
The float plane was full of passengers either commuting home from work, or travelling to explore the Gulf Islands. It was promising to be a warm January weekend which is a welcome reprieve from the previous two weeks of unseasonal cold and snow.
Sideways Sally has been pulling double duty in the job she loves the most. “They” say keeping the brain active is the best way to stave off dementia.
Along with case management at the community mental health team, she is doing intake for new referrals coming to our team. It’s a transition to full time intake, but the process takes time.
Being Sideways to begin with, it’s easy for her to get goofier and goofier. The shenanigans that go on with her work family keeps things going. It’s laughing hour over lunch that keeps her going back for more.
Yup, those people know how to get the work done, and have fun. There is no better way. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Sideways and team have devised a plan to “work smarter, not harder.”
Of course, we have our bumps in the road, like roadblocks. Eventually we find a way around them. The team of twenty clinicians, psychiatrists and admin staff look after 600 folks in the community.
The best moment in Sideway’s week was when she was able to bring a young man to an addictions support group for the first time. She’d been talking to him about it for a year or more. In a state of psychosis, exacerbated by crystal meth use, he smashed up his room in the group home and was taken to hospital. Finally, after being away from his crystal meth use, he was able to think straight and make the choice to get treatment.
Sideways Sally would love to get her hands on the drug dealer and heaven help them if it ever happens. Seems like no one else is doing a damn thing about it.
But work/life balance is vital so she’s heading home sweet home.
Listening to so many stories in one week, and now she gets to tell them to you, she thanks you for listening. The kindness and patience in listening is sometimes all that is needed.
This new fav singer and song is filmed at the fabulous Orpheum Theater here in Vancouver. https://vancouvercivictheatres.com/venues/orpheum/
Ummm…. as for her brain, she thinks she broke it. But it will be fixed after some twelve hour naps… and some sunshine.
Home sweet home with Hershey!!
8 replies on “City to Serenity”
YATS NAMUH ???????
How is the hat backwards in the photo? That’s a mystery! But as you know, we do things in an interesting fashion… STAY HUMAN.
🧡 happy napping!
Hey, nice to hear from you!
Love it! Living the life…
Grateful… luv ya!
Howdy Sideways, yet another blog with a punch (lovely gal with a lovely voice). Unusual video as well. I’m freezing where I’m at now. Can’t imagine being in ice and snow. Well, if the shoe fits right? Looking forward to the next one…
Caught a lucky break with mutha nature here on the West Coast. Hope it warms up there soon, mutha nature packing a punch in Texas!