Forest Path

<Giggling> Forest Path said he would FINALLY read our journal this morning. 

In many ways, Forest Path is our personal coach.  He keeps close tabs on how we are doing and keeps things safe.  He is the one who taught us about making goals and objectives.  He is action orientated  and after completing one task likes to be moving on.  We tend to dawdle so we can each savor the moment. 

Sometimes, there are those of us in the system who think that Forest Path pushes us too hard.  Then we usually get mad at him and rebel.  But, Forest Path never gets mad back!  He knows all the parts and is respected by each.  We've known him now for about ten years.  He hired us to do work for him, when we were still thinking we were too disabled.  He placed a lot of trust in us, and we are very grateful.

When we were hired at the Center four years ago, we didn't know anything about people who were mentally retarded.  We were just out of college and had no experience working in the field.  Forest Path helped us get through it.  He has been helping people now for about 30 years. His summary of the situation was that it is all about "quality of life."  Our job was to make it better for the people we would be serving.  He also gave us a position to be doing Internet research and encouraged Sr. Tess to give us as many responsibilities as possible.

Forest Path has also helped us with some of the switching.  There are times when it isn't appropriate for the role that we are in, or in keeping group progress, to have regressed in age or temperament.  Sometimes parts get triggered (surprised) out to the forefront who don't want to be there, but get stuck.  Forest Path reminds us to, "Bring it up a level!"  The lesson is that with "bringing it up a level," the more regressed parts have learned to trust other more capable parts in the system.  It is like reparenting yourself.  In all, a very nurturing/nurtured feeling.