Tag Archives: Volunteer

A Challenging few Weeks w/New & Refreshed Lessons Learned Along the Way

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Caturday Saturday. It has been quite a couple of weeks of being challenging for me for various reasons and many of them I have had to deal with some eighth deaths in a matter of a two week period. Some of the folks I have never met but really admired in the animal welfare community especially locally here in the Seattle area who touched the life of many humans and cats. Sadly this person took her own life and wish I would have been given to meet her in person. She will be greatly missed especially in the animal welfare community.

On the continuation of discussing death. I can’t really discuss much about it due to HiPAA law but many of the client I work with overdose on drugs and alcohol. Sadly some pass away to drug and/or alcohol overdoses and It is challenging to deal with. Thankfully I have the support of my colleagues with this especially when people have been trying to get off drugs so they don’t have to have a stigma with an addiction.

Dealing with so many deaths is the last couple of weeks I have been reaching out to my support system such as my friends, family and my colleagues as well as my therapist. I am just beyond grateful that I have supportive people in my life to be there for me. Not many people have a good support system and I have a great support system.

Now on to what I do to help with my self care. One way I do self care is due at least two mindful meditations daily; once in the morning and another one before bed time. I am also trying to put in third mindful mediation in the middle of a work day to help me refocus during work. Another way I have been doing self care is spending time with my cat as well as walking two times a day; once in the morning and once the evening. Of course another self care act is going to volunteer at PAWS Cat City a least once a week. Of course working at my job helps as well. I have been reading a lot of books that I find helpful to help with my recovery journey. I also have been doing some art work and hope to show sometime soon.

As this post comes to an end just know there is always hope along the way. I want to thank you for reading my blog. If it was not for you reading and/or following my blog, I most likely would be continuing to writing my blog. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out World!!!!

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Just Another Relaxing Day

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! Today has been another relaxing day. I started off today like every Sunday and that is by volunteering at PAWS Cat City. I, of course enjoyed my shift as always. I, sadly am going to have to change the day I volunteer at Cat City due to a change in my work schedule. I have one more Sunday morning shift which is next Sunday, then I will be doing the Friday morning shift starting February 24th. I like the Sunday morning crew as they are awesome.

After my shift at Cat City, I went and bought myself some orange chicken from an Asian restaurant in my neighborhood. I really enjoy this particular restaurant’s orange chicken. I brought home the food and ate it. Billie wanted some of the chicken but I didn’t share with him since it wasn’t plain chicken.

When I was done eating my lunch, I took out my cat tarot cards. I didn’t do a reading but I did start reading the guide that was included with the deck. I am wanting to start doing tarot cards as a form of self care and hope that I can incorporate reading tarot cards into my daily routine.

Something I did in regards to trying to understand tarot cards better is buying a book from Amazon for beginners in tarot cards like me. I am not a big fan of Amazon but I really want to learn more about tarot cards so I can understand what the tarot cards are telling me. I hope the book I am buying is going to be helpful.

I do not have anything else 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 the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work 
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Art (paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! This week has been quite a week. This week started out with starting a New Year, so Happy 2023 everyone. I didn’t do much on New Years Day. I did watch the fireworks shooting off the Space Needle on television. They were okay but I’ve seen better.

On that note this has been quite busy. Mainly, due to starting a new job as a peer specialist (counselor) at a former employer this past Wednesday. I am happy to back at this employ. I am even more thrilled to be on a team that reaches out to the most vulnerable of the vulnerable in my community. My supervisor is awesome and very helpful. I really do think I am going enjoy my new job most days.

As for today, I volunteered at PAWS Cat City late this afternoon into early evening. I really enjoyed it. We only had two cats who are a bonded pair. So mainly my shift consisted of cleaning which I don’t mind doing. I also got to play with the kitties. In fact today is exactly three years since I did my first shift at PAWS Cat City which is why I signed up for a shift today. I do my regular shift tomorrow morning.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I would like to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciative from my end of thing that you do read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

New Years Goals for 2023

Posted on by Gertie

Happy New Years, World!!! I realize it has been a while since I last wrote on my blog. I apologize for not keeping you all up to date on things. It is surprising how fast 2022 flew by and how well my mental health did last year especially with how challenging some things were for me. I started last year with having Covid-19 which sucked. I also got laid off from a job I loved which also sucked. The suckiest part of last year was finding out that my mom has stage-3 lung cancer. On that note, I also had some successes. Successes so very small but added up to make 2023 an overall good year.

A good year that was helped by making New Years goals. Goals that get re-evaluated every two to three months. When I also re-evaluate goals I also add goals if I have completed. In fact, I am going to share with you my goals for this year. My goals for this year are

  1. Clean apartment and keep it clean.
  2. Read six books.
  3. Color six pictures and one poster.
  4. Paint two paint by numbers paintings.
  5. Start and complete two workbooks regarding my mental health recovery.
  6. Continue volunteering at PAWS Cat City.
  7. Blog an average of three times a week.

I have more goals than listed but some are a little bit personal to share on the internet. I am grateful to have goals and to work on myself and recovery.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I would like to thank you for reading my blog. If it wasn’t for you reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out and Happy New Years, World!!!

A Choice to Make Time for New Changes

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! As the year is quickly coming to an end, I have been thinking about changes I want to make in my life. Some are new changes and some not so new changes that I have been putting off. Changes can be a bit challenging to do even if it is a change you have been wanting and looking forward to.

Let’s start with the changes I desperately been putting off for months. That is cleaning and organizing my apartment. In fact my apartment is a disaster area and needs to be cleaned then organized. When it comes to cleaning my apartment, I tend to put it off. That is why I plan to schedule two to three times a week to clean my apartment. Hopefully it will be done by the end of the year so I can start January on a good note.

Speaking of January, I have awesome news. Yesterday (Monday) I got a call from a future employer offering me a job a Peer Specialist. I, of course accepted it and informed my new employer that I will need to put in notice at my current employer and will be out of town at the end of December. My new employer informed me that would be a “perfect time to start.” In fact my new future employer happens to be an a employer I use to work at. In fact this employer gave me my first job in the mental health field and was able to get my foot in the door at this employer.

As far as my current employer they are sad to see me go but they understand especially since my current employer is only twelve hours a week while my new employer is full time. Of course I will be earning more money an hour at my new employer. I will be making eleven dollars more an hour at my new job than I do at my current job.

Now on to me making new self improvement changes in my life. One think I will be doing sounds a bit nutty and crazy is doing mathematics on my own and not through a college course. The book I am starting out at is Basic Math and Pre Algebra for Dummies. I know it sounds a little silly and nutty but I want to be able to do basic math. I do plan on setting out a schedule when I do math as consistently as possible with a schedule you will retain and learn more.

I know I have mentioned this before but I am going to get into Tarot Cards and journaling. I keep starting up learning about Tarot Cards and then stop for some reason. I really want to get into Tarot because I feel like it will help me guide my life in the right direction and well as help me with my mental health recovery.

Speaking of my mental health recovery, my cat Billie does a wonderful job with helping with my recovery. Not only does he help my recovery, volunteering at PAWS Cat City every week helps with my recovery. I love volunteering at PAWS Cat City and I love my cat Billie even more.

Another way changes are on the way for both my creative side and my recovery is to do some crafting like crossing stitching and latch hook as well as art work such as painting and coloring. I feel like crafting and artwork keep me grounded and help with my recovery. I will also start trying a new type of art for me called diamond art a friend informed me about.

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 the reader, read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Blog
  • Spend Time with my cat, Billie
  • Read Book

Monday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Spend an hour cleaning apartment
  • Read Book

Tuesday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Read Book
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City

Wednesday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Read Book

Thursday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Therapy
  • Read Book

Friday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Read Book
  • Watch Movies

Saturday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Spend an hour cleaning apartment
  • Read Book
  • Watch Movies

It Has Been a Great Weekend

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is barely after six in the evening here in Seattle, Washington. As the title of this blog post states; it has been a great weekend. Actually it has been a pretty awesome weekend. First things first I had a great night sleep on Friday which led me to sleep in on Saturday morning to nine o’clock in the AM. Waking up that late is not very common for me and am beyond grateful for it especially since Billie my cat allowed me to sleep that late. I also had a great night sleep last night, Saturday. I did need to get up at eight in morning this morning (Sunday) so I could attend my regular morning shift volunteering at PAWS Cat City.

Okay, now let’s get back to how awesome yesterday (Saturday) was. I started off sleeping in longer than I normally do especially with a cat that likes to be waking me up an hour or two earlier than nine in morning. Spent the day mostly being able to read a book with my cat, Billie on my lap. Later yesterday (Saturday) afternoon/evening, I spent time volunteering at PAWS Cat City. Saturday afternoon/evening is not my typical shift but every time I do a shift my mood improves even if I am already in a great mood. When I got home from volunteering yesterday (Saturday) afternoon/evening, I of course payed attention my awesome cat, Billie. I then went online and went to Amy Grant’s website to see if she was going to do any Christmas concerts here in the Seattle area. Sadly, she is not however she is going to be on tour next year and will be holding a concert in Bremerton, Washington which is a ferry ride away from Seattle. When I saw that she (Amy Grant) will be in concert in Bremerton on March 14, 2023, I bought a ticket and booked a hotel room. I’m going to be staying in a hotel as I don’t want to worry about missing last ferry of the night back to Seattle. Needless to say I am beyond ecstatic that I will be seeing Amy Grant in concert. On that note, it took me about a half an hour to start calming down with all the excitement of knowing I will be going to an Amy Grant concert so I could continue reading the book I was reading earlier in the day.

Now on to today. I woke up earlier than I wanted due to my cat, Billie, wanting wet food as well as wanting to play. Despite waking up earlier than I desired, I had a really good night sleep. After feeding and playing with Billie, I ate breakfast and got ready for my volunteer shift at PAWS Cat City. I, of course went to my volunteer shift this morning and immensely enjoyed my shift as always. I love volunteering and giving back to my community. I especially love volunteering at PAWS Cat City. After, volunteering I got take out of Orange Chicken from a local Asian restaurant and ate part of it here at home. I will eat the rest after I am done writing and posting this particular blog post. After eating lunch I read some more of the book I was reading yesterday. In fact reading is what I have been doing most of the day and Billie was on my lap a good portion of that time. Now, I am writing this post. In fact I am almost done writing this particular post as I am getting hungry for dinner.

I really do not have much else to say for this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciative from my perspective that you, the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Keeping Busy to Stay in a Neutral State of Mind

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World from Seattle. It has been one of them days where trying to be in a neutral state of mind has been challenging. It has been challenging due to some negative shit, I have experienced the last few weeks. Yes, I would prefer to be in a good state of mind however I will and am more than okay to be in a neutral state of mind.

I started off the day cuddling with my cat Billie. In fact that appears to be an everyday thing. An everyday thing I don’t mind especially since it is how I start my day. I am more than sure that Billie enjoys starting his day cuddling with me.

After cuddling with my cat, Billie, I worked on a Mindfulness workbook. As I was working on the mindfulness workbook, I realized that my morning cuddles or any cuddles with Billie is mindfulness. So, I guess I do mindfulness everyday as I cuddle with Billie. Even though I do mindfulness daily, I am still going to work on the mindfulness workbook daily till it is finished.

I, of course did all that before getting ready and going to volunteer at PAWS Cat City. I really enjoy volunteering at Cat City. In fact it is one of the highlights of my week. Even though I have my own cat, I enjoy spending time with the cats at Cat City. In fact I enjoy spending time with the kittens and the senior cats. On that note, spending time with the kittens reminds me why I prefer the adult and senior cats especially to have one as a family member.

When I arrived home after volunteering I had packages at my door from Amazon. One of which was For Dummies book for basic math and pre-algerbra. So, I worked on for about a half an hour and the next half an hour I worked on my other For Dummies book which is on U.S History. I’m still waiting on two more educational Books for Dummies. I am doing the For Dummies books because I have forgotten most of what I learned or I never learned it in school.

After “educating myself,” I decided to be creative. First I did some art work. The art I am doing is coloring a poster for my mom. After coloring, I decided to do some crafting by doing latch hook. I am really enjoying doing the latch hook. I am currently doing a latch hook with a cat on it and it is to wipe your feet with before entering your home. I am not sure what I’m going to do with it when I am done with it.

Well, I’m looking at the time and it is time for dinner. That means it is time to end this particular blog post and go eat. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. That is why it is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you do read my blog. Again, thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!