#daily work

[vintage-every-day]

Glassworks. Midnight. Location Indiana. From a series of photographs of child labor at glass and bottle factories in the United States by Lewis W. Hine, for the National Child Labor Committee, New York.

[inthemoodforblastt]

To give you an idea of how incredibly difficult it is for someone without a stable environment or a strong support network to recover or reintegrate into society, I’m going to tell you about a 62-year-old man we have at the facility where I work. He’s someone who’s done a lot of bad things in his life—ñ; he’s been severely addicted to heroin, he’s been an alcoholic, and he’s been in and out of prison multiple times for drug-related issues. He’s also a person who is ill today, not just in terms of mental health, but physically as well: lung problems, heart problems, everything, basically as a result of the life he’s led.

So, this man is very disruptive. Fortunately, he’s not someone who’s going to suddenly explode or cause a huge scene, but he’s very difficult to deal with, it’s like dealing with a 16-year-old teenager who doesn’t want to listen to anything the caregivers say. People in supported housing have to follow a certain structure, especially because that structure is meant to help them reintegrate into society. So they have responsibilities, both inside and outside the house; like doing daily chores, attending courses or programs, and so on. Well, this man’s sense of responsibility when it comes to daily tasks and being a good housemate is basically nonexistent. Here’s the thing: he has two brothers who are his legal guardians, because he can’t be responsible for himself due to a high level of disability caused by his schizophrenia, not just that, but also his overall physical health issues.

He has always wanted to go live with his family. Basically, on the days he’s not in prison, instead of going to supported housing, he wanted to stay at one of his sibling’ homes. He doesn’t want to be in a supervised facility, he wants a normal home. So his siblings told him that if he met a series of goals and conditions, they could start discussing the possibility of him living with them instead.

And he did it. He met every single one of those goals. He improved a lot. But when the time came, what happened? His siblings didn’t actually want to take responsibility for him.

So what happens when you tell a 60-year-old man—who’s been through everything he’s been through, who already feels like he has nothing left in life, who’s dealing with a massive depression—that the one thing he was holding onto, the one hope he had (living in a normal home instead of supported housing), isn’t going to happen Everything falls apart. All the progress he made disappears. He goes back to disruptive behavior, emotional dysregulation, not caring about anything and all the ground he had gained is lost.

Situations like this really open your eyes. It’s not just about a person’s willpower, their environment is absolutely crucial. It’s essential for recovery, reintegration, and improvement. If someone feels like they have a place to go and people who will welcome them, they have a reason to fight and to get better. But if that suddenly disappears, life can stop making sense, and they just stop caring. And it’s awful, because this is someone who really could have improved a lot.

I understand the family too, they’ve probably been through a lot because of him, and they may not want to take on that responsibility. That’s completely fair. But if you’re not going to do it, don’t promise that you will. Because that’s just cruel. Both things can be true at the same time: that he’s caused them a lot of trouble, and that making promises you don’t keep can destroy all the progress someone has made.

That’s why when people online say things like “if you really want to, you can do it,” I just can’t stand it. They have no idea what they’re talking about. And they should shut the fuck up.

[sarenth]

Dagaz

I am Day I am Dæg I am Dawn I am the cycle of Day and Night I am Máni’s route I am Sól’s work I am the cheer of morning I am the heat of midday I am the cool of night I am Nött’s Blanket I am Wolves’ Course I am Stars’ Tapestry I am the embers of first light I am the setting of the Sun I am the Equinox and Solstice I am the timekeeper I am the clock I am the primstav marks I am…

[mouthengineer]

Random Day ⚡🤍

[chevens91]

Just a work in progress photo.

[kojiarakiartworks]

February 2024 JAPAN HOKKAIDO SAPPORO

© KOJI ARAKI Art Works

Daily life and every small thing is the gate to the universe ：）

[septembergold]