Katarina – Ponsonby/Titirangi
“I have lived for most of my time here in New Zealand in Titirangi, and recently moved in with my partner in Ponsonby.
Last week or the week before that, I felt proud. Why? I’ve just recently changed jobs. I work in mental health, and have worked in adult mental health services for about 14 years, and I recently switched roles to working in maternal mental health, which is sort of a developing interest of mine, and as part of my farewell I had to wrap up my cases, and it allowed for a bit more honesty between my clients and myself in the whole farewelling process, and it was just so beautiful to hear from people I work with, what it meant to work with me, and how they left our relationship.
So for example there was a young man. He has had a significant drug history, major mental health history, and I was very proactive of him entering a rehab program, and as part of saying goodbye I had made him a card and I had sent it to that rehab program, because I couldn’t actually have contact with him. On my last day, as I packed up my desk the phone rang and it was him, and he said, “oh Katarina I’m not allowed really to ring up, but I just wanted to say thank you. Your card has reached me, and it means a lot to me what you’ve written”.
I could tell him again that I was actually really proud of him – that he’s entered the program. It was very difficult for him. He had to overcome a lot of anxieties and we had to say look we don’t know when our paths will cross, but I felt proud of him and actually now that you’re asking me I felt proud of myself that I had persisted and got this person to the place where he got help.
I think helping and healing is the key to our wellbeing as individuals and as groups and as communities. I’ve worked in recovery now for nearly 20 years and I found over this time the social fabric of the community has worn very thin, which allows for so many people to just fall through. The fabric doesn’t hold as well as it did before, and as a recovery clinician it’s become more and more apparent to me that it’s healing and compassion that are key, and a need to be [aware] of how we live with one another.
What do I want to commit to today? I’ve actually recently decided to commit to lots of small actions. So for example, yesterday I had a chat with a woman in a shop about better skin care and tips and tricks, and she was really intrigued that I used these oil capsules. So I decided I’d go the extra mile and share some of mine.
I went back to the shop and put them in a bag for her, and I want to commit to more of these really small every day actions like doing that; paying that coffee for that person next to me; giving away more of my possessions for free. If I have spare books I want to actually give them to my local book exchange. She’s got a coffee shop. I don’t need any money for that. I would rather she had her coffee shop in my community where people can come and gather, [rather] than making money out of those small things. So more sharing of what I already have is my committed action.
I could say at my core is my Christian faith. That’s not to say that my life hasn’t had really dark patches, and in those moments I had so much care and support from friends and family, in particular friends and colleagues and strangers, that I decided there was other things that count. So I’ve actually made a commitment to be part of the Good News and to be the change I want to see in the world. I think some famous person said that once, and I regularly ask myself the questions; how can I be the change that I want to see in the world, and come up with creative ideas, and actually it’s quite a selfish thing to do, because whenever I do something to help another person I feel I heal myself, and my life is getting better for it.”
