Lessons Learned

I learn new things from my clients every day. Some of these lessons aren't things I ever necessarily felt the need to know, like how many species of lemurs there are in the world or the exact number of tiles there are in the office's bathroom...but still...new things...every day.

There also times when my clients remind me of important life lessons once learned and easily overlooked.

In session the other day, my client talked about feeling stuck between two worlds, one for disabled people and one for everyone else. He has a significant medical condition and a mild developmental disability. We were talking about things that make him feel better when he is feeling down.Christmas is on the top of his list! But he also asked, "Ever see the movie Shawshank Redempetion?"
A little incredulously, I say "Yes, but that wasn't necessarily a feel good movie that would make me feel happy."
"You don't think so?" he asks.
"Well, I'm not sure. How do you see it?"
"Well, at the end, when Tim Robbin's character leaves the letter for Morgan Freeman's character, it says 'Hope is a good thing. Good things always survive.' I watch that movie and remember that there is always hope and feel better."