I can’t cope

Please keep pushing to stay @tyme. I would miss you. Both you and Jynx are the closest that I am too. I always remember you saying you would walk beside me when I first joined. But that didn’t allow for a role change.

I won’t have any qualifications to be a peer support worker still never happen. I did want to do it one day but now that’s a dream that won’t eventuate

At least I won’t have to deal with her and dad fighting I just have to listen to her put him down. It’s a 2 hour car ride there and 2 hours back. It should be ok during the day as she wants to go and will enjoy it.

But yea defs need recovery time. I need to plan to look after myself. Plus I’m not sure how dad is going to cope with 3 dogs on his own!!

Mum has decided that Keiko needs a friend!

So are you saying that your mum will get another dog @Captain24 ? I'm just putting it out there, but what happens if one dog just won't get along with another... does that ever happen?

You have the qualifications of peer work! You're the expert of your own experiences! That is the main requirement of peer work.

I think with the trip, it's good to just remember that your mum wont' be there forever. And whilst she may be irritating (like my mum), it comes from a good place and mums will always be mums - if you know what I mean...

Yeah she wants to get a pup @tyme She has wanted a puppy for many years now. Pix and Jett aren’t getting along at the moment. Pix isn’t going to like another pup but she will be fine as long as she gets some attention. Keiko loves other dogs and she struggles when mine aren’t there. It is a risk but they will all grow on each other.

Doesn’t everyone want a piece of paper to say that you have some qualifications?

Yeah. With her leg she won’t be able to do these things forever and she is 74. I’m not sure how long she has before she develops dementia either. So I have to do it while I can.

I reckon in peer work, you start with volunteering where you can, and when people value your skills, they can employ you. However, there are organisations like SANE which require tertiary education on top of that. But I know many in the industry don't have a formal peer work qualification, which, at the moment is a Cert 4 in Peer work. @Captain24

There is no other peer work qualification.

There probably isn’t much around here. I’ve never been offered a peer worker or heard of them other than one guy with comm health but I think I wasn’t offered him as I knew him. I use to be his boss at Big W.

There’s a lady starting a MH support group here in town. I have her details to go check it out but it starts the day I go back to work then the next week I’ll be on nightshift so I’ll have to try the week later. It’ll be hard getting into it 2 weeks after everyone else

Before I go, I thought I'd quickly respond.

What you have shared is precisely my point. Because there are so few of them, it makes peer workers gems.

If you have lived experience, you are the expert. It exceeds a PhD! (In my eyes anyway!)

I'm thinking that later, when more people get into the industry, there will be less opportunities available.

I've had so many opportunities open up for me since doing peer work. I've done so many talks all over Australia (and the US one). People will come to you. You don't even have to reach out... @Captain24

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@Captain24 wrote:

Yeah we can revisit it if you remember @AuntGlow

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I remember! How are you feeling today? 💛

Hey @AuntGlow.

Sorry I’ve not long gotten home.

I went here today

Hey @tyme

Today went ok. Mum only pit dad down once. She talked about my brother on the way there and that his girlfriend broke up with him. He has to fix her car as he hit a pothole and damaged underneath. Mum is helping him pay for that which I’m relieved about as I just can’t afford to right now. I’m not even sure how to pay my electricity bill. But anyway… apparently he has been paying for everything. All her Centrelink money is going on stuff she wants so he has been paying full rent and all the bills, registration and insurance on her car as well as his. Plus he has been paying her phone bill. No wonder he had no money. Mum is putting a stop to it. She has to pay her half as they are now just house mates!

We had a really good day. I made her walk a lot and have a late lunch. But the last 45 mins of the drive she kept one upping me with her golden child. I guess he is back. That hurt a lot. She has no idea what I’ve done for him. But he is hard done by and he is her focus. Not everything I did for her today. I paid for everything.

Im tired and mentally drained. It was a lot of one on one time with her.

Some photos.

This is the world’s widest canyon. It had fog through it, the photo doesn’t do it justice.

This is the awesome water fall we saw

This is the view

 some of the rainforest

And our friend for lunch. He wanted our food!

I guess you didn’t have time @AuntGlow. It doesn’t matter. I’m giving up for the night.