Week of April 8th- Assignment (Coping activities)

 To steer away from being involved in violence and hanging around with the wrong crowd, some rules were set in place to set up Wes for success. One of those rules being that he is allowed to explore the neighborhood and check out the basketball court and play there. Wes felt a sense of belonging on the court. He realized this is a place that brings people from all over together. No matter their age, ethnicity, whatever type of religion they were, they came here to shoot hoops. Some came to get their mind off school, get their mind off work, take a break from the household and their family. No matter what they came here for, they all bonded and had the chance to think about nothing but putting the ball in the hoop while being here. As for Wes himself, he felt it was important to not just thrive in the place you grew up, but more so make connections with people with whom you grew up with. These connections can last a lifetime and provide ample opportunities down the road. 

I think it is super important to have places or someone/something we can go to when the going gets tough in our life. The reason I chose this prompt to write on is because as I currently type this I am going through a tough time in my life along with my family. We had to put my childhood dog to rest this week. It was unexpected and out of nowhere which makes it very tough for all of us. For myself, I never really had a certain person or place that I went to to let my feelings out and vent. I am currently trying new places/people out at this time. I felt comfortable talking to my co-workers as I wanted to stay strong in front of my family. I learned that while that is okay, it is important to cope/grieve with and in front of your family. For 2 days I kept strong in front of them, but last night I did let it out to them. It felt comforting and right. My parents' group hugged me and actually it did not make them cry, which is what I was fearing, hence the reason for being strong in front of them all this time. 

The prompt asks for an activity(ies). While what is mentioned above is the only thing I have been doing right now, I will say the gym and going on a run is an activity that can help. I did not go to the gym for 2 days after this happened (happened on wednesday). I went this morning, and it was a way to ease my mind. As for the run, it can be a good way to cope with the good memories left behind from my dog. Going for a run to the places we took our dog for a walk is a nice way to bring a smile to my face. It allowed me to look back on all the good memories we had together. 

This was tough to write considering how recent my experience is. But it is vastly important to make sure you have people/places to go when life hits you with a detour. I appreciate everyone and everything that has been there for me in the past with difficult times and especially now in the present with what I am currently going through.