At The Edge

I have been through so much lately. Well, this entire year, actually. But, the experiences of the past month have nearly pushed me to the brink of sanity. Which is where I had to rescue a family member from on Thanksgiving. It is no fun having to commit somebody to the psych ward. I struggled for at least an hour before I finally made that call to 911. When I described the behaviors I was seeing and the danger this person was posing towards themselves and others, I had no choice. Well, first I called the crisis hotline and described what was going on. They were the ones who told me to call the paramedics, who arrived with 4 cops and somebody from the fire department. They nearly had to break down the door but it was luckily unlocked at the last minute. Otherwise, property damage would have occurred. Even though I begged them not to, they would have anyway.

This was not how I had envisioned spending Thanksgiving.

Then, there were several visits to the psych ward, during visiting hours. It felt like visiting somebody in prison. My belongings were checked and I was taken to a common cafeteria and the patient was lead in to greet me. One time, another patient was acting out loudly and the whole place went into lockdown. Visitors were ushered out of the ward. I was traumatized by that experience, for sure.

Just getting from point A to point B, in the neighborhoods I traveled was an exhausting ordeal. I handled it all, at the time, but I am now falling apart. I realized that what I need most is a road trip. Calming pavement, stretched out for miles with very few scheduled stops along the way will heal me. So, I hope to get out of Dodge very very soon and hit the open road. I need it more than you can imagine, as I am totally at the edge of my sanity.