Sometimes I need to remind myself: "Don't forget to breathe". If I have any kind of anxiety regarding a meeting I'm involved in or a program presentation I've been asked to deliver, I have tendency to talk a mile a minute if I don't remind myself to slow down. At times I need to purposefully remind myself not to forget to breathe.
I remember about twenty-five years ago when I was subpoenaed for a deposition related to a lawsuit regarding a foster parent for the agency where I worked and his former employer, I was anxious even though the lawsuit had nothing to do with me. Any written notes I had taken during telephone calls or during face-to-face conversations, were also subpoenaed.
At the time, as a means of best practice, I took notes during any telephone call I had with anyone regarding agency business. Those notes always came in helpful until they were subpoenaed. Following the deposition, I stopped taking notes during telephone calls. I determined not doing so was in my best interest.
At any rate during the deposition, the attorney asking the questions told me to slow down. He said, "This isn't a marathon. Slow down and just answer my questions."
In the early hours of the morning, I found myself reminding me not to forget to breathe. I am scheduled to participate in a podcast with two people at 8:30 a. m. this morning. The time allotted is one hour. To my knowledge, I'm the person answering questions during the podcast.
When I was invited to participate in a podcast related to the 2023 National CORE Conference being hosted by St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, SD on September 18-20, I didn't ask any questions. I have no idea regarding the format of the podcast or what expectations
they have for me. I should have asked.
Since I didn't ask, I thought of any number of things during the early hours of the morning that I could talk about regarding the importance of promoting best practices. During the 53 years I've been involved in child welfare related work, best practice has changed significantly.
As a "wet behind the ears" child protective services worker in 1970, orientation for the job and on-going training routinely included the concept that if a foster parent ever mentioned wanting to adopt the child or children placed in their home, the children were to be moved immediately to a different foster home. It was non-negotiable.
I remember thinking at the time that the requirement served no one's best interest. Gratefully in today's child welfare environment, we have moved light years away from that antiquated concept.
The other concept that was chiseled in stone was that under no circumstances could a birth parent or an adoptive parent ever know the identities of one another. Adoption records were forever sealed, and God forbid that any information be disclosed.
In today's enlightened environment, fortunately we now see things differently. I have often smiled at the finesse at which Ancestry.com and 23 and me have provided access to family secrets.
The exercise of writing my morning thoughts has been helpful in removing my anxiety. I can easily fill an hour if necessary, with information stored inside my head.
All the BEST!
Don
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