Typical Day
At 6:15AM the alarm rings and Janet Page, MA, M.Ed., Certified Grief Counselor, wakes up, ready to take on the day. Well, almost ready. She hits snooze and rests for another ten minutes before finally getting out of bed. First things first, she makes her way over to her computer and checks her e-mail. Then she looks at her phone for any missed calls.
It seems to have been a quiet night, unless you count a spam e-mail from InCrEd1bLeDeAlz@creepyserver.com as an emergency. Correspondence checked, she shakes of the last of sleep's tender hold and throws on her workout pants and shoes.
By 7:30AM, Janet is exercised, stretched, showered, and fed, and now it's time to head to the office for the first of today's appointments. She checks her schedule on the fridge to make sure she's on track for the day. Seeing that there's a small window between appointments in the afternoon, she makes a mental note to see Dad. She also notices a small stain on the carpet; she makes a mental note to deal with that later.
She pulls into the parking lot of the professional building a little after 8:00AM and heads to the second floor. Like many independent, personal counselors, Janet has a small office within a larger practice.
She says hi to Judy at reception (a necessary ray of sunshine in an occasionally dreary business) who points towards the corner. Mr. Gleeson is already here for his 8:30AM appointment. Janet says hello and sees his eyes are a little red and moist this morning. She asks him for five minutes, then heads back to her office to get settled as quickly as possible.
At 10:30AM, Janet opens her laptop and brings up Skype. As a counselor, Janet will always prefer a face-to-face meeting as opposed to the telephone—her style of active listening includes reading people with her eyes. The twenty-first century has changed the game in this regard. One of her business-oriented clients is currently at his mother's funeral in Hong Kong, but he made sure to book an appointment with her before he left.
After eating a light frozen meal at her desk, Janet closes up her office around 1:15PM. She locks the door behind her and heads toward the front. Judy asks if she's done for the day and Janet replies that she has a house call at 4:00PM, but she'll be taking some personal time beforehand. Judy grins her knowing grin and tells Janet to say hi for her.
Around 2:00PM, Janet walks in to her father's room at St. Mary's hospital. He cracks a crass and uncomfortable joke about the nurse, for which he immediately apologizes. The nurse gives Janet a wink as she steps out of the room, giving the two of them some privacy.
Janet pulls a chair up beside her father's bed, making sure not to disturb the IVs. She asks him how chemo was today. He replies that he never thought he'd feel sorry for a pin cushion, and she takes his hand. "Never stop working," he says, as he closes his eyes to rest.
By 5:15PM Janet's "house" call is complete and she is saying goodbye to the Joneses. They recently lost their home in a fire, but Janet considers how lucky they are to have each other as she walks down the steps from their motel room to her car. Mr. Jones hugs Mrs. Jones around the shoulder as they both hold little Dani close in front. Little Dani holds her stuffed animal Brian tightly, and the family waves. They'll bounce back.
Janet meets up with Brenda around 6:00PM at a restaurant downtown. Brenda's job has been pushing her to take up extra shifts. With her son off at school, she accepted them…but she's been having trouble finding time to take care of her own needs. As usual, Janet listens to all this, simply enjoying being there for Brenda. After dinner, they walk down the street to Janet's final appointment of the day.
Walking into the second floor office at 7:30PM, Janet says her hellos to the members of the group. They begin, as always, discussing the events of the week. It comes to Janet's turn, and she begins talking about her father's treatment. After all, this isn't her group to lead: it's a "Family Of" support group, and Janet came with her own share of grief.
As she speaks, she's encouraged to work through her feelings by the mental health professional in the room, as well as the support of the circle.
Janet knows how well this works. And that's why she'll never stop working.