This is what I came here for.

Every since I got here 5 weeks ago (5 weeks?!), I’ve been hoping that each day and passing week would ignite some inspiration in me and give me the feeling of “yes, this is why I’m here.” And I think that this past week has done just that.

Starting with my conversation with Mike on Monday. Mike is one of our Being Well coaches [http://www.beingwellsalford.com/] and is a really incredible person. One of my goals for this summer is to learn as much as possible from the people around me. Mike was incredibly helpful in allowing me to learn, just by telling his story of how he came to be a Being Well coach. We talked for an hour about his career path and what life events lead him to his position right now. Mike is in his 30’s and has just found a job that he loves, everything else was just life experience. I struggle with figuring out what I want to do with my life (how much more daunting can a question be?), but after having this conversation I’m feeling much more at ease. I’m coming up on my 22nd birthday and I think I’m doing just fine. I know that I want to be in the business of helping people, now I just need to narrow in on what that looks like. There are a lot of options and I have so many oppourtunities to explore avenues that interest me. Do I want to help people by directing them to services they need? Or do I want to be more hands on and one to one by being a counsellor or support person? The most important feelings I got out of this conversation are that I’m on the right track, I have options, and most importantly, I have time.

A few weeks ago I briefly mentioned our garden centre, Garden Needs. I was excited to spend more time there and I was right to. It is such an oasis of nature and amazing people. I’ve only been to the garden a couple of times during the volunteer days, but I already feel like part of the team when I’m there. Everybody gets on so well so I really can understand why volunteers keep coming back week after week. Every volunteer is there for a different reason, either recovering from mental health issues, are retired and want to get out of the house, or simply want to learn something new or meet new people, but they can all agree that the garden is a special place. Simon, one of the staff members at Garden Needs, called a meeting with the volunteers to help him understand what the space meant to them.

“Companionship, confidence building, engaging with life, acceptance, happiness, calming environment…”

I don’t want to lie and say I’m not an emotional person, because I definitely am. But usually I am able to hold myself together when in a public situation. That being said, one of the anecdotes a volunteer shared in this meeting really stirred up some emotion in me. He noted that in his everyday life when he’s not at the garden centre, he doesn’t really feel like he belongs. But as soon arrives here, he feels welcomed, appreciated and truly a part of something. This resonates with me because I feel quite similarly in life a lot of the time. Feeling like I don’t fit in with the crowd in most situations. But I feel the same way when I come to the garden, like I’m a part of something, and it’s a really comforting feeling.

I was having a nice chat with one of the volunteers last week as well that really made me feel like I have been working in the right direction. We were on the topic of what I wanted to do after I graduated from university and before I even mentioned what type of job I was thinking of pursuing he said to me, “I think you’d be a great social worker, or a support person. You’re a really nice girl and really easy to talk to. If I’ve got something going on I feel like I could talk to you about it.” How reassuring is that? All I could say was thank you with a huge grin on my face.

Another part of my job here is to get feedback from service users and volunteers. This week I spoke with 3 of the cafe volunteers about why they chose to work at the cafe and what the space means to them. Each of them have their own personal stories of why they are working at the cafe, ranging from wanting a place to heal from mental or physical ailments, or to simply build their confidence. What I took most out of these conversations is the feeling of safety and joy the cafe brings to them. These feelings are not created out of thin air of course, but by the couple who run the cafe, Andy and Eileen. Quoted as miracle workers that give everything they have to those that need, even if it’s just an encouraging word or an ear to listen. I haven’t been able to speak with them too much, but when I do I can feel the genuine kindness of their nature and am happy to be able to know people who have made such a positive impact on others.

#ashleydujlovic