Laugh or You'll Cry

"One of those you have to laugh or you'll cry times". That's how my area director in Spokane would describe some of the stories I would tell her about my job. And it's one of the best ways to describe my days. Sometimes I go home to tell my roommates what I think is a funny a story from the day, and they respond, "aww, how sad." But if you focus on what as sad, especially at a drop-in center like the Salcido, you'll get too bogged down.

So here's some of my more light-hearted moments:

The clients picked "Cats" (yes, as in the Broadway musical) to watch a few days ago. The next hour went like this:

"Who the hell put this in?"
"Not me. It's stupid."

"Oh yeah right. I bet you like it."
"I don't like it. He likes it. He's the one that likes it."
"NO! I don't like it either."

Yet they kept watching....

Or after I got engaged. Here are a few of the client reactions I logged (names changed, of course)

* Bill: “Aren’t you a little young to be working on your first ex-husband?”

* Adam: “Do you think I’m too old for you to marry me?

“Well Adam, I’m already taken.”

“That don’t mean nothin. If you marry me, after four years you can get my retirement.”

* Jessie: “Do you need a band to play at the wedding? My band will come play.”

* Jessie two minutes later: “Can I come to the wedding?”

* Seth: “Congratulations by the way.”

* Jake: “Congratulations! That’s great!”

* Kyle: “So when’s the funeral?"

* Jeff: "I'm mad at you. I was going to ask you. But I didn't tell you how I felt cause I was on the streets, and now you done gone and met someone else!"

* Al: "Why don't you guys just move all the chairs out of the way and have the wedding down here?"

Or the time I tried to help a client set up an e-mail account who was a little on the paranoid side. The computer kept "lying" to him every time the e-mail address he wanted was taking. And you know those squiggly words they make you type in? He kept resetting them because he didn't "like" the word they gave him.

Or the time I was asking an intoxicated man to leave and he kept saying "No. You don't even know my name" as his friend was saying "T.J. you need to leave!"

Usually you just have to laugh.