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I confess to falling off the blog-a-thon trail but I have lots of good excuses. Life has taken me by the hand and guided me to some new and exciting possibilities. It is nice having Kyle back from where he goes in a cycle and I am still reeling from the power of prayer. I am grateful for every peaceful day we have had with him this past 9 days. I have created a new position for a "thanny". Thanny= part therapist, part nanny. I am looking for a part-time caregiver for Kyle who can be my primary "go to" support person. Looking for the freedom my fellow empty-nesters experience but would still like Kyle to live at home with us. Recently realized I had to think outside of the box I feel stuck in. A whole new world has opened up to me with the discovery of a website which links caregivers to jobs. There are many many many people looking for special needs positions. I have been pleasantly surprised. Currently, I am engaged in the task of weeding through them and responding to inquiries to narrow my focus down to a few strong candidates. How do I decide? What do I ask that will determine whether a person is the right fit for Kyle and for our family? Of course, the basics of availability, willingness, experience, etc. need to be there but beyond these things, how do I know who Miss Right is? There is a vibe you get when you meet someone. The gut says yes or no pretty quickly. But you gotta listen. Can the vibe always be trusted? Does the gut sometimes reflect fear rather than truth? Is the voice of the vibe which speaks directly to the gut always one which can be trusted? I had an interesting experience with a candidate who was very very willing, almost too much so, to take this job. She herself had seizures for most of her life until the last year and a half when a successful surgery removed a small piece of her brain. Since then she has been seizure free. I saw her as a very compassionate woman who had been through a lot and had a lot to give. But during the entire interview, my gut was talking to me. Something wasn't sitting right with me but at first, I was not fully paying attention. For some reason, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. What were you trying to tell me dear trustworthy gut? Helllooo... what if she were to have a seizure sometime down the road while caring for Kyle? In the pool? Driving? Outside while walking? I know, I know she told me her seizures were cured but there are no guarantees. She was very offended when I called and told her why I would not consider her for the position. Even though I mentioned other valid reasons, she was feeling discriminated against. If I was hiring her for anything else, a history of epilepsy would not be a factor. But in this case, it had to be. How is it the gut can be so much quicker and smarter than the mind sometimes? The gut speaks quietly sometimes and loudly at others. Sometimes it makes judgments and snap decisions. Sometimes we don't want to listen because the mind is lecturing on and on. But when it comes down to it, the gut often knows. What is your experience with your gut? Send me your stories. Tomorrow is guest blogger day and I could use some material. PS.. Back on the blog-a-thon trail... Day 8 :-) |
