Awe and Wonder: Called Hope

I have experienced awe and wonder this week while in respite at the Cleveland (GA) Peer Support and Wellness Center. I loved smelling the fresh air (except when we got behind the manure truck coming back from bowling!). It was especially grand this morning after a cooling rain. I cannot adequately describe what the air was like, but that it made me feel alive and connected to this place. There was a palatable energy to it, yet it was also calming.
I also found awe and wonder in being with my peers this week. I learned so much from being in their presence. There was definitely collected wisdom coming from each person’s pain and triumphs. I also found solace and joy in having fun on my own with music. I took the time to practice my violin and sing along with the karaoke machine. I feel rested, refreshed, and revived after spending the week here.
I can also say that there is an awe and wonder to the change in my demeanor and emotions as the week went by. While here I have been going through a medication change (prescribed by my doctor before coming), and thankfully it has been a positive one. I had a difficult day on Friday, but utilizing my coping skills got me through it. There is a special kind of wonder in being a person with a mental health struggle in this day and age. Help is available in a variety of ways. Such help did not exist even fifty years ago. Although the medications can lesson symptoms significantly, we now know that therapy and peer support can help us create fulfilling lives. That is a special kind of awe and wonder for someone like me. It is called hope.

Jen Garrison