Tag Archives: Miltary

My Grandpa’s Honor Flight

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! My grandpa came back from his Honor Flight trip this past Monday after two years of delays due to Covid-19 pandemic. I am so proud of him serving our country. I would love to put picture of what was taken but my grandpa knows I a using a pseu·don·y·mous and doesn’t want that taken a way from me.

I just don’t want to take away one of the best times he has made in in his life time and waited two years due to a stupid pandemic. I am grateful he had a grated time. He met a lot of vets that he will keep in contact with.

The best part was seeing all the love the families had for their vets coming home. A lot of families came out and there were many hugs and smiles. My grandpa had a great time.

I don’t have much more to says except thank you veterans for serving our country. Peace Out, World!!!

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Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Volunteer a PAW Cat City
  • Read Comic Books

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Attend a Training via Zoom  on De-escalation
  • Spend tie with Billie
  • Pick up grandpa from airport from honor flight

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Read Comic Books
  • Work
  • Spend time with Billie, my cat

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Work
  • Spend time with my cat Billie while reading comic books

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Work
  • Spend time with cat Billie while reading Comic Books

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Work
  • Spend time with my cat Billie while reading comic books

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation Practice
  • Walk
  • Read Comic Books while cuddling with my cat Billie

Looking Forward to the Long Weekend

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! Its late Friday evening and the start of a long weekend for the United States due to Memorial Day. It is a day we remember fallen soldiers who gave their life for this country. For them and all veterans I am grateful for my freedom.

Memorial Day weekend is a three day weekend for the United States however it will be a four day weekend for me. It will be a four day weekend for me because I am taking Tuesday off. I am taking Tuesday off because I am going to Bremerton on Sunday to spend a couple of nights there. I thought it would be good for me as getting away for a few days can be refreshing.

Since I will be gone for two nights, my cat, Billie Dean will be going to my grandpa’s tomorrow (Saturday) to spend a few days. I know I could have my grandpa come to my apartment to take care of my cat once a day or have a neighbor do it but I don’t want Billie to be lonely. Plus, my grandpa and two uncles enjoy having Billie around even if they are too stubborn to admit it. I notice when my family has Billie around that their moods appear to be in a better place.

Speaking of moods, my depression and anxiety have been acting up. I am not exactly sure why but I am hopeful that the symptoms won’t be increasing. I am hopeful because I know what I can do to help myself. One of those ways is getting out of town every once in awhile and I am doing that this weekend.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my heart. I am beyond grateful that you read my blog. I hope everyone has a great long weekend ahead of them. Peace Out, World!!!

Happy Memorial Day

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Memorial Day!!! I hope everyone had a nice three day weekend. I didn’t exactly have a three day weekend because I worked today but it felt like I had one.

It felt like I had one because the office was closed which means the drop-in was closed and I didn’t have to see clients. I love my clients but am glad that I was to organize my office and catch up on paper work. My office needed a great deal of organizing and was able to have the time to do it and not to have to worry about getting interrupted by clients or meeting or some sort of other event.

Well, the day was interrupted by an event but it was a planned event. Those of us that went into work today had planned to have potluck bar-be-queue. It was nice to not be rushed through lunch. In fact it was a nice relaxing day at work and I got a great deal done. I got my office organized and started decorating it. I also got caught up on my all so lovely paper work.

I do owe much gratitude to those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom. If it wasn’t for them and all the women and men who fought for my freedom, I wouldn’t have been able to have the holiday to catch up on things at work.   Thank you to all you veterans, and the friends and family who lost loved ones in the wars. I am much grateful for all of you.

Now I am off to another Memorial Day celebration. Have a wonder full Memorial Day. Happy Memorial Day!! Peace out!!

Happy Friday

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday!!! It’s the start of a three day weekend here in the United States of America (USA). Monday is Memorial Day.  Memorial Day is were we as Americans celebrate and remember those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

Freedom that I am grateful for. If it wasn’t for those who lost their lives as well as all the Veteran’s, I wouldn’t be able to have the choice to be in recovery with my mental illness. I would most likely be institutionalized and treated like shit. Because of the men and woman who fought for my freedom and paid the ultimate price I have a choice how my personal recovery looks like.

For me if my own personal recovery is why I am working as a Peer Specialist. In fact I am working on Monday even though I don’t have to. The reason why I am working is because they recently finished a remodel before I started my position and there is a great deal of stuff left in boxes that wasn’t unpacked by the person I replaced as well as by the person the recently left the job. So, I am cleaning up my office as well as catching up on notes. Technically, the office is closed so a lot of clinicians go into work to catch up paper work when there are no clients coming in. If we take the day off, the agency automatically takes out PTO hours which sucks but its a good day to catch up on things like paper work and organizing. The good thing about working on a holiday is I get to sleep in.

Memorial Day isn’t about sleeping in even though its a plus. It’s about remembering those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom. My freedom to be in recovery and to be able to work.

As I end this blog entry, I ask that each one of you take moment of silence to remember those who fought for our freedom. Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Memorial Day. Peace Out all!!

Mental Health Awareness Week; Day 6: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Posted on by Gertie

It is Day 6 of Mental Health Awareness Week. Today’s topic of discussion is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Todays discussion is quite difficult for me because I am struggle with PTSD and I am sure that this topic will bring up some painful memories from my past. I am aware that this particular post might take me all day to post because if I need to stop for a while I will. I need to do what is best for me but I also realize that I still need to educate you all on PTSD. Again the information I will give to you on PTSD, I got from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website at nami.org.

The symptoms of PTSD:

The DSM-IV criteria for identifying PTSD require that symptoms must me active for more than one month after the trauma and associated with the decline in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. The three broad symptom clusters can be summarized as follow:

1. Persistent Re-experiencing

A person experiences one or more of the following:

  • recurrent nightmares or flashbacks;
  • recurrent images or memories of the event – these images or memories often occur without actively thinking about the event;
  • intense distress of reminders of the trauma; and/or
  • physical reactions to triggers that symbolize or resemble the event.

2. Avoidant/Numbness Responses

A person experiences three or more of the following:

  • efforts to avoid feelings or triggers associated with the trauma;
  • avoidance of activities, places or people that remind the person of the trauma;
  • inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma;
  • markedly diminished interest in activities;
  • feelings of detachment or estrangement from others;
  • restricted range of feelings; and/or
  • difficulty thinking abut the long-term future – sometimes this expresses itself by a failure to plan for the future or taking risk because the person does not fully believe or consider the possibility that they will be alive for a normal lifespan.

3. Increased Arousal

A person experiences two or more of the following:

  • difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep;
  • outburst of anger/irritability;
  • difficulty concentrating;
  • increased vigilance that may be maladaptive; and/or
  • exaggerated startle response

Again, I got this information off of the NAMI website at nami.org. The DSM has since got an updated version now DSM-5.The diagnosis of PTSD has been updated in the DSM-5 so for more updated information you might want to check it out.

As I thought I am having some problems writing this particular blog. I have made the decision to make this particular blog shorter than I had hoped. It has been quite triggering for me. I am a survivor of multiple traumas and some of those trauma’s were when I was a child. Writing this blog has brought up some unpleasant memories of some horrific parts of my life. That is why I am needing to end this blog. I am sorry that I was unable to convey everything that I wanted. I hope that someday that I will be able to convey more on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I need to take care of myself and I know with the years of therapy that I have had and continue to have that if continuing this particular entry will trigger me even more.

On that note, I will blog again tomorrow on another subject. I am not really sure if I am going to write about but I do know that I will write about mental health. I hope that you will continue to follow and/or read my blog when Mental Health Awareness Week ends. Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy it to the best of your ability. Peace out and enjoy life!!!!