We have begun to live with the belief that we must not fight life, we need to be open to it, embrace the moment, and not force something that is not working. Neither one of us ever thought we'd be living in Alaska, let alone loving and embracing Alaska and all that she has to offer!
My work hasn't changed much but I am working on myself in that regard. Instead of focusing on my frustrations and irritations I just do what I can, learn what I can, and be open to what I can do. I've talked to some head people and they are aware of my frustrations and that I am eager to be engaged so that is all I can do. Apparently I have started work here in an stage of change so roles and responsibilities are being clarified and tweaked. it's a government job so nothing moves forward in a fast manner so I am choosing to embrace the situation and have patience. I have no control over others or the process just myself. That is something we try to instill in our clients as therapist but sometimes we get caught up in life and forget that truth ourselves.
Last weekend I had the blessing of volunteering at Survivor's Day. It's a day, that is set aside nationally, for those people that have lost someone due to suicide. It's was a touching day with movies, actives for remembrance, and of sharing of grief and strength. This was their 4 year of doing it here in Anchorage, I believe, and when it started there were more volunteers than participants. This year it has grown and there was a good amount of people. It's good that the word is getting out, it's not strongly advertised, but sad at the same time. The high schools here have had a hard year of students dying by suicide which was heart braking to hear about, and frustration to here that people don't want to talk about in the schools or take any preventive measures. It does seem like with this year of loss, the the students themselves are making a change and there is also some change from the higher ups to address it. So although the loss has been great, there are finally some action to help the kids.
This past Monday we had a fun night of cider and chocolate pairing at the local cidery. They worked with a local chocolate shop and it was amazing! 9 ciders and 9 truffles! I was a happy girl! The hardest part was waiting while they set out the ciders and chocolates!
Last night we had dinner with our other neighbors, a newlywed couple from Colorado. We had an evening of finger food, good drinks, and good conversations! Our condo is small, only four units and one is an air&b so it's awesome to me that we've made friends and broke bread with our neighbors.
We have been here in Alaska for 2 months! We have done and experienced more than what we had in Florida, and we've interacted more with our neighbors! I can't believe it's only been 2 months! We are just getting started!
