Both Feet Flat on the Ground Keeps Me Calm

 In 2021, I discovered that when my feet are flat on a floor or the ground outside this keeps me from overthinking things. Experiencing flatness through my feet helps me feel connected to the earth and my heart so I can do the next right thing. 

Before that, my feet were not always flat on a surface. It seemed to keep me a bit on edge some of the time. 

When I'm working on a household task/project or making food for the dogs, if I don't feel the flatness, I remember to set my feet flat. This is helpful quite a bit. It helps me slow my thinking down so I can "Glow Flowly" and to be in the moment so I'm not overthinking everything. This connection helps me feel love with my family and being present for those whom I care about.

When I was growing up, my friends and family told me I walked on my toes a lot. Didn't realize what the implications were then. It does feel great to have my feet flat on a surface!

Have an awesome day, everyone!

~TommyJ~

Trauma Informed Care & the Point In Time Count

This morning I finished the first day of the Homeless Point In Time Count as Mandated by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Our team has been assigned to an area from 900 West heading West to Redwood Road and from State Road 201 South to 3500 South. Part of the area includes the Jordan River. The three of us hiked along the Jordan River and did not encounter any individuals experiencing homelessness. We may hike along there tomorrow morning from 4 AM to 6 AM which are the hours for the PIT Count.

Part of the joy of doing this activity is our understanding of Trauma Informed Care. If you would like to understand what Trauma Informed Care is, here is a link to The Puppy Story on YouTube which illustrates Trauma Informed Care. The video is just over five minutes long.

We will be covering this same area Friday and Saturday Mornings from 4 AM to 6 AM. Part of the Point In Time Count is encountering people who are experiencing homeless and asking them survey questions which we have on our phones. This data is collected and is uploaded into the Utah Continuum of Care's HMIS database. This data is later reported to the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

One of the benefits of this survey is that we can connect people experiencing homeless with local resources to get them housed first so they can work on their traumas they have experienced in their lives. The wonderful part of this is we get to connect with people without judgment and share our compassion and respect. If the people we engage with decline to answer a question, they can do that freely and we can  note that in the questionnaire. There is no negative consequence for not answering a question. We use an application that uses location services on our phones so Case Workers can locate these individuals and help them connect to services.

So now we are onward to the next two mornings, now. I will share a photo of our team on this blog post after Saturday morning. 

Trauma Informed Care is realizing some of us have experienced trauma of some form in our lives and we could have adopted ineffective coping mechanisms, e.g. Substance Use and other Behavioral and Mental Health Disorders. 

Utah has a wide array of services to people across the state. This is why I love to be in Public Service. Service is where it is at.

Have a wonderful life, Everyone!

Best and Kindest Regards!

~TommyJ~

Mortality Hit Home Eight Days After the Mercur Visit

A few days after I went to visit the Mercur Cemetery I got a call from my step-sisters letting me know my mother would not last for another 48 hours. On hearing that news, I got a ticket for a flight to Raleigh/Durham, NC and rented a car to drive to Laurinburg, NC.

I arrived at the assisted living facility where my mom was in Laurinburg at about 1:15 A.M. I spent the night in her room that evening. She was in hospice care at the assisted living facility and because she was declining rapidly, her body could not process any medication they put in her mouth. The morphine was not working so 3 days later they arranged for her to be transferred to a local hospice facility.

The next day my step-dad and two step-sisters and I went to the hospice facility. A few minutes after we arrived, a nurse gave mom an injection of morphine and within 15 minutes she passed from life into the next world.

This experience has been quite difficult as I've been doing some reflection about her life and how she influenced me. She gave me a good work ethic and helped me learn to read at a young age and she engaged my obsession with books and academia.

This past week, I got a small urn with some of her ashes in it. 

I'll continue to work on healing from this event. Grief is a natural process and I won't "get over it." I will adjust to this new world without her.

Blessings to everyone!

~TommyJ~