YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hi friends. 2 bookends:

1. I have my annual review tomorrow. I am nervous, naturally.

I feel proud because I was pleasantly persistent in requesting a timely review. Some colleagues go 6+ months, but I literally can’t afford it: a 2% raise (typical) can mean the difference between me choosing between gas and food, like I have had to do again this month.

2. On Saturday I am volunteering at a community event. The people in my new town are very mean, or ignore me. Some people have not moved on from high school mentality.

If I survive:0 I’ll post here Friday and Saturday nights.

Much more anon, but I just had a frank talk with the mayor.

Hopefully without being a jerk, I told him I don’t have any friends, and that my time in his town has been awful.

He was sympathetic, but short on concrete plans.

If my experience in this town is like a Hallmark movie (The worlds saddest Hallmark movie in history), today is day, after months of loneliness and alienation, I make friends and meet the quirky local bakery owner, who is also a girl next door “secret” bombshell.

Updates soon!

Hi friends.

I volunteered at the community event today. The organizer demeaned me. I have not been treated like that certainly since I got sober (ten years), and probably since high school (25 years).

I don’t want to talk about it further, at least for now.

I did have a lovely, kind, encouraging, challenging, energizing annual review. My boss appreciates me, and I’ll have more to say anon.

take care, Oak, we are reading your bookends with great interest

Sorry the volunteering didn't go well. I'm glad the annual review went well.

We're here to listen, Oak.

rivergirl