On another subject: Carol and I will be doing the Barley moon festivities tomorrow evening. The full Moon for August.  The more your learn the more productive you are…

On with the Tale”    ”

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite time?

What is your favorite season?

Where would you like too be?

These are all Ice-breakers if you want to make conversation. I can and you can think of many others.

I like the color Purple (movie also) because it is a dark, Vibrant, and cheerful color. The color purple looks good on me.

My favorite time is nighttime. I can watch the Moon and the night is beautiful

And the nights are so peaceful and full of wonder.. I love it!!!

My favorite season is Fall because of the beauty that lives on the tree leave, yellow. Purple, red, orange, etc. It is beautiful, I can’t wait for Fall, this has been a very hot summer so far!!

I would like to be on a deserted island with plenty of food, water and all the necessities. There of course with the adorable man that makes me turn to jelly, and our four adopted kids and my son.

A little game there..we did that in one of our classes to stimulate our brains.

I think one of my favorite Sabbats will be Samhain.. It is one of the greatest holidays

For Wiccans, I like Yule as well, though I have not been in with a coven to do that.

I want to join Wisterian Coven. I am doing a online class with them now.

I don’t know if Carol’s daughter will be going nor my son, it will be just Carol and I.

I hope the Goddess and god will put it in his mind the desire to go

To be continued

I have noticed an increasing number of individuals with a mental health diagnosis being checked into my facility, then when we get further along in the intake process they tell me that they have been using. Sometimes I can see it for myself right off the bat.

I was browsing the  internet and came across this article it has some good information there so check it out.

I am interested in what you have to say about this subject.  Here is the web page

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5623481_relationship-mental-illness-drug-abuse_.html

As luck would have it, James’ retirement check came in the mail. We were in good shape again. WE had money for pot and booze, as well as move back to Denton, we were thrilled!!! Life was really bad for me for quite some time afterward. I had a hard time getting over what had happened with my job. I applied for unemployment and was denied the first time. I appealed and won my case. We lived off of that and what little James had left of his retirement for awhile.

I was 30 years old and it was 1994.. I was a hopeless, bitter mess. We lived with another gay couple for awhile. The couple fought, both verbally and physically all the time. I couldn’t handle that…It was horrible. My nerves were shot, I couldn’t stand that. I had no ambition in life anymore.. I was finished. James was really an awful person. We fought verbally all the time; I would throw things and break them. He just used me for his “sex” toy! I never got any pleasure out of the relationship. We stayed together because we couldn’t afford to do otherwise. I found out a year afterward that he had molested my 10 year old son; I wanted to murder the man. I went and confronted the pervert but naturally he denied it and my son was too scared to press charges, he wouldn’t talk about it. It made me so sick and angry.

We finally found a trailer home to move into in Lake Dallas and got away from the abusive couple. I started attending the “International Business School” in Denton. I took a paralegal course there. I was also working as a dishwasher. From District manager to Dishwasher, wasn’t that something? Life was miserable with James. He was so very immature. I continued to drink heavily and smoke pot. I was no longer snorting crank, only because I couldn’t find it. I enjoyed going back to school. I had piece of mind there. It was the only enjoyment I had in life. I started becoming violent when I was really drunk and breaking dishes and glasses, whatever I could find; James and I fought everyday. John, Jr. was pissing me off as well. Life was not pleasant at all.

My loving grandmother, whom I had stolen thousands of dollars passed on April 10, 1994; the day before my birthday. I loved her dearly and was never able to repay her. In her will she left me $21,000.00. I used the majority of the money to purchase her house where I had grown up. My grandfather had built the house in the early 1900’s. I bought James a car and paid his deposit and 1st months rent and we (finally) said our “Good-byes”. We decided too break-up, while I had the money. He never appreciated anything I did for him. I don’t know why I bothered helping him. I had a good truck and wanted it to end peacefully. We had been together 2-3 years; 2-3 years of HELL!!!

I apologize for the lack of Photos this time around. I will have to figure out how to download some more pics

Goddess and God Bless!!

Green Regards,

Michelle Smith-Wade

Director of Life Wellness

Back to the Basics Please, Inc.

michelle.smith@bttbp.org

Dimensions of Wellness: Environmental Wellness

It is important to lead a lifestyle that is respectful of our environment. This includes respecting nature and those species living in it. Also, respect for others living in our environment is just as necessary as respect for the physical environment itself. While today’s climate is one of increased environmental awareness, the average person may still be unconcerned or simply uninformed about what he or she can do to help the environment. You don’t have to be a member of an organization to help; an individual can help by simply leading an environmentally conscious life.

Spread the word about environmental wellness. Discuss with your friends the importance of leading a lifestyle that ensures the purity of our water, air and living conditions. Also, if you see someone littering, politely tell that person you do not approve of his or her actions. Get involved with your community’s recycling programs. Implement a recycling program and find ways to conserve paper in your home and at work. Make sure the recycling bins in your home / office are readily available and are being utilized. Not only will your efforts be rewarding, but they will put you on the right path to environmental wellness.

Signs of Good Environmental Wellness

• You are aware of the limits of the earth’s natural resources
• You conserve energy (i.e., Shutting off unused lights)
• You recycle paper, cans, and glass as much as possible
• You enjoy, appreciate, and spend time outside in natural settings
• You do not pollute the air, water or earth if you can avoid doing so
• You avoid second-hand smoke

Tips to Improve Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is an awareness of the precarious state of the earth and the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment. It is maintaining a way of life that maximizes harmony with the earth and minimizes harm to the environment. It includes being involved in socially responsible activities to protect the environment.

Stop your junk mail – Americans receive almost 4 million tons of junk mail every year. If one million people stopped their junk mail, we could save up to 1.5 million trees a year. About 44 percent of junk mail is never even opened or read. Contact the major senders of junk mail saying “take me off your list.”  Try stopjunk.com or privatecitizen.com

Snip your six-pack rings - Six-pack holders are virtually invisible underwater, so marine animals can’t avoid them. Seagulls sometimes strangle themselves by catching one loop around their neck while another loop gets snagged on a stationary object. Before you toss six-pack holders into the garbage, snip each circle with a pair of scissors. When you’re on the beach, pick up any six-pack rings you find, snip them, and put them in a trash can.

Don’t leave your water running – Washing dishes with the tap running can use an average of 30 gallons of water. A running faucet uses three to five gallons of water per minute. As much as five gallons of water is wasted if you leave the tap on while brushing your teeth. If you wash your car at home using an ordinary hose, you can use up to 150 gallons of water. When brushing your teeth, wet and rinse your brush only. A half gallon of water will be used as opposed to five to nine gallons. When washing dishes by hand, fill up a basin of water instead of letting your water run. When washing your car, either take it to a self-service car wash, or use a shut-off nozzle on your hose when washing it a home. This can save more than 100 gallons of water.

Use recycled paper bags when shopping - Plastic shopping bags are not biodegradable. The bags never disappear in the earth; they just break into small pieces. Plastic bags that wind up in the ocean can kill marine life that swallow or get tangled in them. “Recyclable” paper bag does not mean recycled. If a bag does not say recycled, it’s probably made from virgin paper. First, consider if you really need a bag before taking one – especially if your purchase is small. Also, bring your own cloth bags when you shop, or reuse old bags that you have already saved.

Environmental Wellness Assessment

The environmental dimension of wellness involves accepting the impact we have on our world and doing something about it. Read each statement carefully and respond honestly by using the following scoring:

Almost always = 2 points            Sometimes/occasionally = 1 point           Very seldom = 0 points

_____  1.  I consciously conserve energy (electricity, heat, light, water, etc.) in my place of residence.

_____  2.  I practice recycling (glass, paper, plastic, etc.)

_____  3.  I am committed to cleaning up the environment (air, soil, water, etc.)

_____  4.  I consciously try to conserve fuel energy and to lessen the pollution in the atmosphere.

_____  5.  I limit the use of fertilizers and chemicals when managing my yard/lawn/outdoor living space.

_____  6.  I do not use aerosol sprays.

_____  7.  I do not litter.

_____  8.  I volunteer my time for environmental conservation projects.

_____  9.  I purchase recycled items when possible, even if they cost more.

_____ 10. I feel very strongly about doing my part to preserve the environment.

_______ Total for Environmental Wellness Dimension

Score: 15 to 20 Points -  Excellent strength in this dimension.

Score:  9 to 14 Points – There is room for improvement.  Look again at the items in which you scored 1 or 0.  What changes can you make to improve your score?

Score:  0 to 8 Points – This dimension needs a lot of work.  Look again at  this dimension and challenge yourself to begin making small steps toward growth here.  Remember:  The goal is balanced wellness.

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My oh my, I had too go back, Never thought I would. My mind got to carrying on about my dear Mom’s and best friend of 30 years death last year. Hard to imagine both of them being gone the same year. I am past that now. I had given myself a death-wish. I was tired of living. I stopped, eating, stopped taking my 20 some odd pills a day, stayed in seclusion. Waiting for death to come; it never did and never once did I get tired or hungry. I am on a much better mental condition now, I force one meal a day even though, it looks good, smells bad and tastes awful I eat. The eating disorder is awful. The insomnia still keeps me up all hours of the night. But I’m home and Miss. Colleen my cat would not leave my side or my lap. Poor kitty! I am trying folks, I’m trying!

7-29-10

My gums are really hurting bad, I told my Dr that the only temporary cure (24  hours) was a paste of ground cloves mixed with water and placed generously on the infected area. It never fails to Stop the pain…and almost immediately. My gum are hurting bad and they wont give me anything but Anbesol…that crap don’t work..I hope I like my new roommate. I have the room to myself at the present. There are two beds to a room.. They all seem to have a good time bowling. Maybe I will play after all! I hate sports of any kind. I was always a failure so I decided not to engage in sports. It is freezing cold in this building

7-30-10

I awoke very sick this morning. I threw up, but managed to make it to the bathroom sink. I hate it here but am afraid I will be kept awhile longer than a week. I am not able to eat or sleep but just a little. Perhaps they will keep me here a month, hell I don’t know. What brought this about was I was abusing Xanax and Oxycodone. As a result of this abuse, I started talking to myself, hearing voices and looking all over the floor for god knows what!!

Gosh I miss Colleen, I miss my home health care provider Carol and believe it or not I miss David (dang Moocher) I am in the gym now dying for a cigarette. We only get 12 cigarettes a day…hard to go from 2 packs to 12 a day. IT’s terrible!!!! I miss my sweet computer…very much so. I still can hardly eat. The food is yucky. I lost 5 pounds my first week here. I absolutely hate it here, why did I ever come? I like my counselor, ooops I mean my psychiatrist Dr. Cook. She reduced some of my medications, which is a good thing.

I hate being mentally ill, the only one in my family that’s a loon.

I wonder how many of my Internet friends have tried to get a hold of me….. Lots and Lots!!!! I had 1000+ emails plus Facebook, MySpace, WiccaTogether and Psychic knight. Truly good friends! The staff here has

been a bit approving of me taking extra long sleeping time in my room, though I already hid My journal book. The nerves are what are keeping me awake. My chat friends have been very worried about me. Can’t blame them….I’m nuts as I have already stated.

At the hospital they were trying to take my cane away and make me use a walker… Nope, no walker for me…my cane does fine. Its funny all the people here in the Behavior unit seem, quite sane.  A few are drugged out of their minds. I don’t see any hope of them ever to get better, BUT who am I too judge!

I am starting to feel a little better, praise the Goddess.

~A new segment will be posted twice a week

My gums are really hurting bad, I told my Dr that the only temporary cure (24  hours) was a paste of ground cloves mixed with water and placed generously on the infected area. It never fails to Stop the pain…and almost immediately.The guns are hurting b ad and they wont give me anything but Anbesol…that crap don’t work..I hope I like my New roommate. I have the room to myself at the present. There are two beds to a room.. They all seem to have a good time bowling. Maybe I will play after all! I hate sports of any kind. I was always a failure so I decided not to engage in sports. It is freezing cold in this building

7-30-10

I awoke very sick this morning. I threw up, but managed to make it to the bathroom sink. I hate it here but am afraid I will b e kept awhile longer than a week. I am not able to eat or sleep but just a little, Perhaps they will keep me here a month, hell I don’t know. What brought this about was I was abusing zanax and oxycodone. As a result of this abuse, I started talking to myself, hearing voices and looking all over the floor for god knows what!!  

Gosh I miss Colleen, I miss my home health care provider Carol and believe it or not I miss David (dang Moocher) I am in the gym now dying for a cigarette. We only get 12 cigarettes a day…hard to go from 2 packs to 12 a day. IT’s terrible!!!! I miss my sweet computer…very much so. I still can’t hardly eat. The food is yucky. I lost 5 pounds my first week here. I absolutely hate it here, why did I ever come? I like my counselor, ooops I mean my psychiatrist Dr. Cook. She reduced some of my medications, which is a good thing.

I hate being mentally ill, the only one in my family that’s a loon.

I wonder how many of my Internet friends have tried to get ahold of me….. Lots and Lots!!!! I had 1000+ emails plus Facebook, MySpace, WiccaTogether and Psychic knight. Truly good friends. They have been a bit                           approving of me taking  extra long sleeping time in my room, though I already hid My journal book. The nerves are what’s keeping me awake. My chat friends have been very worried about me. Can’t blame them….I’m nuts as I have already stated.

At the hospital they were trying to take my cane away and make me use a walker… Nope, no walker for me…my cane does fine. It’s funny all the people here in the Behaviour unit seem, quite sane.  A few are drugged out of their minds. I don’e see any hope of there ever to get better. B UT who am I too judge

I am starting to feel a little better, praise the Goddess.

I went into the gas station by the phone and bought me a six-pack of beer and drank and cried all the way home. What was going to happen to me now? I finally got to the Inn. I immediately went to the bar and drank about 10 shots of hard liquor right in a row. I told the bar patrons what had happened and they said they would be drinking too if they had been in my place. My life was over!!! I immediately went to my room at the Inn and called my mom, then my lover, James..  I started having pains in my chest and thought I was having a heart attack. I called the local hospital and told them my symptoms.  They told me to hang-up and immediately call 911. The ambulance came at once and the EMTs were very professional… It turned out all I was having were panic attacks. My heart was good! I still have panic attacks today. The valiums I take cut the edge off of them but they are there none-the less. I was Drunk and having a panic attack. Hmmmm!!

It is hard to see, but this is me when I was at “The Gates of Life” ministry. This was a very hard fence to build, all concrete and extremely heavy.  Each post weighed about a 100 pounds..  I was a very healthy young man then. And the tree roots…my goodness, a very hard job.

My Regional Manager, Mr. Johnson had been trying to call me, and once I got back from the hospital and we touched basis. He informed me that he had got demoted back to District Manager over the Houston area. I told him I wanted the earliest flight back home in the morning. I was madder than a wet-hen and wanted to be home. I was totally out of control, I told him he better not mess me around because I was going to sue their asses.. He knew I meant business and got me a 8 am flight back home the next morning. I started drinking as soon as I woke up the next morning. That’s when my morning..hard liquor days began. I told Mr Johnson (excuse my language) to go “Fuck himself and Fuck the company. I was drinking beer on the way to the airport and stuck the can and the car keys underneath the front seat in the parking garage, that’s where I was told to leave the keys. I headed straight to the airport bar and ordered my favorite drink, a “Long Island Iced Tea” I intended on getting very drunk.

This gentleman and his wife were cooks for all of us at “The Gates of Life” I think he must have been a queer waiting to happen, He was always flirting with me.. He was kind of cute. I think I looked pretty good myself? What do you think dear reader? LOLOL.. On we go!

Indeed, drunk I got! On the plane (it was a small charted plane) I drank one drink after another until I passed out. A sweet little Nun sat next to me, she expressed her wish that I didn’t drink so much!! I told her the whole, horrible story of what had happened before I went into the “Black-Out Mode” I awoke on the plane alone and with wine poured all over my white shirt. The Stewardess was looking at me and asking me if I was all right? And that I needed to leave!! I told her I was NOT all right and wobbled my way into the terminal.

I saw James and John looking through the exit ramp, leading into the airport terminal. I was still very drunk and immediately started bawling. I was going crazy. I was devastated, it was so very horrible. I had lost everything that I had worked so hard and for so many years to obtain. James had picked me up some whisky and had rolled a joint, prior to arriving at the airport…he knew what I needed. I stayed drunk and stoned for many days. I managed somehow, to call Mr. Johnson, the next morning to discuss what had happened; He offered me two choices… (1) Take severance pay and quit or, (2) move to Houston or California too their highest volume stores, working for “The Original Cookie Company”… I would keep the same pay, $25,000 a year, but no expense account or company vehicle. The company would pay for the move as long as I held the same position for a year. I told Mr. Johnson I would let him know in a day or two. I was in absolute HELL!!

My dear man Lennon, Gosh, I loved him so much and we had so much fun together. He was pretty wiped out in this photo!!!

I was so angry, angry and drunk!!! James had a sister who lived in Houston, another pot-head!! We all Decided to do the move to Houston. I trained for “The Original Cookie Company” in the Dallas area. It didn’t seem too difficult to do. I thought to myself…. “Maybe this will not be so bad after all……

As you can see.. I was toasted in this picture that Lennon took. Dear Reader I am done with page 13…

I hope you enjoyed it. Next weeks page promises to be interesting. I have had a very colorful life to say the least, Have a grand night.

Good-bye!!

Realizing that many will be starting their holiday weekend this day, we expect a small but productive crowdJ

We can expect reports and dialogue from the following divisions:

1. Life Wellness:

1. • Michelle and Holly will share their thoughts on future blog posts.  The most popular keywords used to hit our site in the Google search engine are “better life.”
   • We will open the dialogue for our “activity nights” shared with PFLAG.  We will sort through the ideas for a September event and move forward.

1. Substance Use/Abuse Outreach:

• Chris and Tara will have a report on their progress for recruiting individuals into support groups.  A date will be announced as to when these groups will start and continue on a weekly basis.
• Our National and local social media agenda encompasses a revamp of the Substance Abuse section of the website to add more entailed and graphically appealing information.  This progress is ongoing.

1. HIV Outreach:

• Gabby will be available to discuss the upcoming National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Summit (meet and greet) breakfast at Springhill Suites, October 15^th.  Coordinators from other health organizations/institutions, legislators, and members of the community will discuss the great progress that has been made in the border regions of Western Arizona as well as the progress that still needs to be made.
• A synopsis of where we’re at with World AIDS Day planning at AWC, will be provided.  The Regional Center for Border Health has joined as a mutual host for this event.
• We will contemplate a campaign to launch a firm social media presence in the Washington DC area which will be managed by Mark Fischer who resides in the DC area.  The integration of social presence in an urban center with the cultivation of the same in rural Arizona may be key to some great web oriented interaction….

1. Outreach:

• Holly will have a report on pending business with the Chamber of Commerce, the city of Yuma, AWC, etc., if there is any.
• We will discuss the cultivation of a fundraising committee and a committee chairperson.

1. Development:

• The duties of this division have been spread to those willing to assist.  Ideally we would like to find a person who would be responsible for the following:

Ø       Someone who can specifically network various States, and local communities to our organization, using our website as one of our main tools.  This person will have excellent communication skills, a basic knowledge of working with local media, the capability of researching valuable demographic data and compiling statistics, and the ability to build bridges with other organizations with a coast to coast strategy in mind.  This individual will work with our rural and urban agendas.  This position will assist in local efforts but ideally will help coordinate our efforts to explore and network with activities and organizations throughout the country.

• The nomination and election of advisory members is ongoing and each executive is required to acquire at least five key members to seat the initial panel.  Each Director is required to have at least one Honorary Director.  The purpose of this endeavor is to build consensus in our decision making process.  Important decisions asked of a program/division will be presented to the advisory panel of each division for dialogue and vote.  The executive of each division is required to allow debate, allowance of research, individual and consensus rationale, prior to voting on any topic.  If anyone would like to be considered, please contact anyone on the Executive Board for nomination and consideration.
• We may exceed 60,000 hits for the month of August!  We have received an advertising grant that will allow our website to be put on the grand stage in many ways.  We urgently need to brainstorm and expound on ways that we can further the attraction of our website and seek interaction.  Our goal is to exceed 200,000 monthly hits by the holiday season.
• Open end topic to include facilitation and new positions in FY2011.
• Open end topic on expanding and assisting community partners (PFLAG, BeYourself Bar, Amancio Project, etc.).

The Secretary will present any unfinished business from the last monthly meeting and will record new business.

I hope to see you there!

Regards,

Mr. Brandon Bennett

President / Back to the Basics Please, Inc.

brandon.m.bennett@bttbp.org

Web URL:  www.bttbp.org

928-550-3999

NOTE:  Request appropriate dissemination