Golf

You are waiting patiently. Constantly refreshing your screen. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Finally, finally after 7 days and some odd hours there it is. You wonder where she is. What she's been up to. And why she isn't visiting you more regularly. Will it change? Has she forgotten? And you thought you had been through this once before that she had disappeared and promised she would be back around much more often. But alas, she's gone. Relegated to 1 visit per week of the thoughts that spew from her head onto a blank white page.

You want to know where she's been? Really? Well let me share it all with you.

It's called IMALIVE. It's considered to be "the first online crisis network with 100% of it's volunteers trained and certified in crisis intervention," as the website states. It takes approximately 50 hours of training, and being the now working girl that I am, I have spent many of my nights reading, taking in information to prepare myself for the journey that I will embark on once all training, practice chats, and 10 hours of working with a clinician have been completed. And in turn, I will be off and running, so to speak.

Looking to help others, and to give back, I signed up for this while my unemployment was at it's height and I was wondering what to do next. Between the blog, the 750words.com, and the random trip to Los Angeles, I knew I had more in me. Stumbling upon IMALIVE was one of the best things possible since I know that soon I will be able to help others during their hard times. 

I've seen a lot in my life and I feel eager to use my training and experiences to listen and learn from others. I can't say enough great things about this idea of an online crisis network. It is the first of it's kind, and in a text heavy world, I truly believe that it may be just the thing to help people in need. My training has been rigorous, and opened my eyes to many of the problems and pre-conceived notions of suicidal people. The training has been quite interesting, and intense.

So forgive me if I haven't been around as much dear friend. I haven't forgotten about you one bit. And hopefully I can get back on the ball, so the next time you refresh your screen I am here. With a new story to tell.

Just a girl, a now certified Online Suicide Intervention Specialist, with many more things on her plate than possibly imagined only 1 month ago. So be patient. Stand by me, and I'll stand by you in return.