Third Shift
Guest Blog by Andrew
Foreword: I’m delighted to welcome a guest blog post written by Andrew, an intern who works in a hospital setting and a regular attender at the evening writers workshop. His reflection lovingly highlights some of the benefits of having alters, parts, and personalities. ~ Lyn
Gabriel
Towards the end of our shift, you can see the sunrise through the windows
For the adults in our system, it means it is almost time to go home
For Gabriel, one of the littles in our system, it means he once again gets to marvel at the colors —
Lovely purples, pinks, and blues against a grey background
Today we finished our work early, and first shift’s hadn’t dropped yet —
We always start it for them if there’s time,
So Gabriel took a minute to have a drink
And watch the sunrise.
Seth
After our shift ended, we almost walked out of the hospital
Seth, one of our teens, reminded us:
“Go to the cafeteria and get a ginger ale! And maybe a muffin…
I’m not going to bed with a stomach ache again!”
We took the elevator down and greeted the cafeteria lady, selected our beverage,
And a chocolate peanut butter treat (no muffins today),
And headed for the bus.
Asher
Once we get on the bus, Asher, our system manager, gets out his book to read.
None of us care for the bus, but Asher has found a productive use for the time, his Tehillim, psalms.
He reads the whole book of Tehillim weekly, then starts over the next week.
It can be time-consuming, so at least the bus provides him the opportunity.
Asher checked which bus stop would get us closest to home with the least walking,
Then settled in to read his book.
A Family & Friends
Many people focus only on the traumatic aspect of DID —
I can understand why.
But I think it does all of us a disservice.
Who else has the opportunity to marvel at the same sunset we see every day
After a long and draining day of work, through the eyes of a child?
To always have someone to remind you to take care of yourself,
Even when you’re tired?
To find quiet contentment in ancient practices, and to keep up with them
Even when they take up a lot of time?
We have a family and friends in our head, who walk with us everywhere.
How could that be only negative?
Self-Care
Andrew’s beautiful description of his alters and how they enrich his life reminds us of the good that can come out of that which is “not good.” Each of us turned devastation into survival, and more, in the complex systems we unconsciously created. Today, they can be intimate parts of us who accompany us on our life journeys.
Who, in your system, actively or passively impacts your life in a positive way? How do they impact your life? Can you paint a written picture of their impact as Andrew did?
Andrew asks, “How could that be only negative?” How would you answer that question?
Invitation
Check out my website at www.lynbarrett.com where you can download my free ebook called DID Unpacked and receive a free weekly newsletter. My memoir, Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory will be released on December 1, 2021. Our new Dissociative Writers website is filled with writing opportunities to explore.
“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”
Psalm 139: 11-12