Strengths

In this exercise, I was required to ask someone what three strengths of mine I had in relation to my profession and I asked my husband if he could answer this for me. He said that I was ambitious and determined. My guess is he probably named these two strengths because no matter what has happened; whether I have had to leave a job or have been fired from one; I never give up when it comes to work and my responsibilities. I never stay unemployed for very long, I'm always the first employee to offer to work extra days or doubles even when I'm tired and would rather go home and, no matter what is going on with me and my life, when I'm at work my patients always come first.

The third strength is one that I gave myself in that I feel that I am a very compassionate person even though I come off as being cold sometimes. Not everyone can go to work everyday and take care of someone else's every need. I have a job that's mostly thankless and underpaid but it's important to me that patients are taken care of and that when I go home they are happy. It actually disturbs me when I'm not there because I know that no one else takes care of them the way that I do and I don't like coming in the next day and hearing that they felt neglected or that they're upset. Despite the fact that I am mostly a very selfish person, I am very protective of the men I take care of at work and at least at the facility I am at now, I know that it means a lot to them that I do value how they feel.

In how this relates to my cats, I have unfortunately lost two cats in the past because of my drinking; Hobbes (who now lives with my mom) and Angel (who now lives with my dad). While I am thankful that they are both in good homes and that I can still see them from time to time and be updated on how they are doing, it pains me that my addiction caused me to let them down. Since I have no children, my cats are my children so it was like losing my children because I put alcohol first.

With the cats I have now, though I have relapsed several times since we have owned them, I have still been determined not to do to them what I did to Angel and Hobbes. I'm a binge drinker and this can go on for awhile but more often then not it has been me who has stopped myself and decided to detox. Once I stop drinking, the first thing I do, even when I don't feel well, is clean their areas and try to spend time with them. I have put so much love into these animals that they've had insurance the entire time I have owned them while my husband and I have gone without. I may be a selfish and self-centered person and there are times when I do want to put alcohol before anything else in my life but I think I've also proven both in my work and with my cats that I have it in me to love something and someone more than my addiction and that gives me hope that I can stay sober if I really want to and really work at it.