I'm happy to report that I received a call this afternoon from Art Awakenings to schedule my intake. Unfortunately it's not until Monday, May 6th, but at least it's progress! During the intake appointment they will assess my needs and goals as well as help to determine where my artistic interests are. I will also have the opportunity to tour the studios and meet some of the people there. Right now I'm leaning toward the writing aspect of things but also have a definite desire to possibly explore painting and drawing since I used to enjoy those things in the past. Maybe those talents, if you could call them that, would be rekindled if I were to take classes in that direction. Where I end up going remains up in the air. While the closest studio to me is in the Northwest part of town, my intake is at the downtown studio in the Roosevelt arts district. I also have to arrange for my own transportation through my clinic which has, in the past, been challenging to say the least. I'm hopeful that my new case manager is more responsive and has a better propensity to move things along in an expedient manner. Time will tell on that score. I have yet to hear from CHEEERS, which I thought I'd hear from first, but I feel slightly more confident that the referral has been or will shortly be completed there too. I'm trying to keep an open mind and a somewhat positive attitude. It just doesn't do any good to focus on the negative and get myself all worked up for nothing potentially. Clients go to and from both Art Awakenings and CHEEERS every day without too much trouble so I'm definitely making an attempt not to be Eeyore and only see the doom and gloom of the situation. Progress is progress and I'll take what I can get at this point. Negative thinking has been a very large area of opportunity for me and this venture gives me the chance to fight all of my natural instincts and think positively. I'm hopeful that my resources don't let me down!
On the homefront things are looking up as well. I had a very productive weekend working with Brian to declutter and organize the living room as well as unpack all of my books and get the bookshelves put together. Brian is a very positive influence on me and definitely knows how to motivate me. The kitchen remains cleaned up, you can see the part of my couch that was previously covered in papers and clutter, my coffee table is fully visible to the naked eye, and books are stacked neatly on the shelves. I even managed to find my bible collection that eluded me since I moved in. All that remains at this point is the bedroom and all the boxes of clothes. That's on our agenda next weekend and I look forward to really thinning out my stash of clothing. Some fat guy in need somewhere is going to be mighty happy. Boxes have been the norm around here for over a year now. Every time I thought about wanting to work on them I just didn't have it in me or I simply got too overwhelmed with the size of the tasks to be done. Brian really helps me break things down and focus only on very small pieces rather than getting stuck spinning my wheels thinking about the overall. We continue to get along famously and both of us feel like we will make excellent roommates once that permanent transition occurs. We have a couple months before we need to take the leap so we're going to just continue to cohabitate on a part time basis for now. Once the bedroom is done it's just a matter of keeping up with everything which shouldn't be too difficult with both of us working at it. I'm so thankful for Brian and his willingness to go into a roommate situation. I think he feels the same way I do about it being beneficial for both of us. Jackie has met him and likes him, and I hope to have him meet more of my friends and family as time goes on. For now I'm elated at the progress we've made and at the productivity I've mustered up. I'm also thrilled that I've heard from Art Awakenings and that process has officially begun! Things are looking up all the way around!
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