Monday, January 31, 2011

Confession Is Good for the Soul

Or so I've heard.  I just made a small confession in comments to a rather quirky post over at The Mayor's place and thought "what the Hell, the statute of moral limitations has sorta run out on this one, so I'll blog it."  My comment:
Apropos of nothing, I really was a volunteer at a community suicide prevention hot line once upon a time in the way-back.  I'll reveal one of the most shameful things I ever did in my life now, heretofore known to only a select few.  A select VERY few.  One of the other volunteers and I (we worked in pairs) took the phones off the hook for about a half hour one night so we wouldn't be interrupted while we engaged in other (and MUCH more pleasant) activities on the floor of the center.  It was worth it, in the end, and we consoled ourselves by sayin' it was a slow night.  Coz it was.  Sorta.
True story.  My partner in this episode of severe dereliction of duty was my kinda-sorta girlfriend; she was more like a friend-with-benefits, mainly because the woman had... umm... "other commitments" at the time.   This happened in the very distant way-back, at a time long before my moral code was firmed up, signed, sealed, and delivered.

And now you know one of my deepest and darkest secrets.  If there's any rationalization or justification for the above it would be this: the suicide intervention center I worked at had no record of any "saves" during the 18 months I worked there.  Our clientele mostly consisted of drunk, lonely, neurotic women who just needed someone to dump on... we even had a few "regulars."  So there's that.  But I don't really need to rationalize the activity at all, in the end it was worth it.  Just sayin'.  

23 comments:

  1. You do realize that you're going straight to hell for that one, don't you? ;)

    WV antedna (yes, the google really is laughing at you!)

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  2. I always knew you had at least ONE redeeming quality.

    Working volunteer at a suicide hotline...Dude, I'd probably tell 'em to pull the trigger to put me out of my misery.

    I commented behind you on Fenris' "quirky" post at The Mayor's joint. That's a good story. Not something I'd have done, because I don't want to go right straight to hell, but I sho 'nuf enjoyed readin' behind it!

    BTW, my WV is not funny at all. Just sayin'...

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  3. TDoing what Buck did won't get him head-table seating in hell.

    Being a fan of the Red Wings however...

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  4. Well, I gotta bow out now.

    Once hockey experts get into it, I've learned it's better to quietly move toward the door.

    BTW, "TDoing" is a new one on me. I like it.

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  5. Half hour?? Was it dark in there :-)

    You're not going to drop the other shoe and tell us it was a she-male are you?

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  6. You do realize that you're going straight to hell for that one, don't you? ;)

    This is but one straw on the proverbial camel's back, Deb. But one.

    Dude, I'd probably tell 'em to pull the trigger to put me out of my misery.

    There times when I was sorely tempted, Andy. We had monthly debrief sessions with the professionals (a shrink, a doctor, and a couple o' nurses) on staff and the subject came up more than once, believe me.

    Being a fan of the Red Wings however...

    Ahem. That's my "Get Out O' Hell Free" card, Mr. Mayor. God herself is a Wings fan; this is a well-known fact.

    Anon: What the HELL is this fetish you have with shemales of late? Are you off your meds?

    re: half-hour. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, according to those who KNOW.

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  7. Half hour? Must have been in a hurry.

    I'm with Andy, I'd probably tell them to hurry up and put us all out their misery.

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  8. Must have been in a hurry.


    Heh. Well, we WERE working. There IS a limit, yanno? ;-)

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  9. ...off your meds

    Yes. I'm working on my new book, and Betty Ford kept popping up into my subconcious. Her picture is all over the clinics, you know.

    Betty was crimping my style, so now I'm just taking the blood pressure stuff.

    Which is good, because just the other day John Lennon stopped by and I was able to get a few new quotes from him.

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  10. Buck, Great post. I never felt too comfortable wearing the Dear Abby hat (or was that a dress?), but I'll play along and say to those who in jest condemned you to hell, they're wrong.

    I think you still could go straight to Pandora Heaven (the Big Radio Station Hotel in the sky with all your fav music, cigars, beer, companions, hockey, etc.

    All you have to do is perform this one simple penance: Read one of Sarah Palin's books in its entirety. On Kindle, of course.

    But to you, I gotta feeling that might be Hell!

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  11. Her picture is all over the clinics, you know.

    Well, I don't, actually. But I suspected as much. ;-)

    But to you, I gotta feeling that might be Hell!

    Close enough for gub'mint work! I might read one of her books if someone loaned me one (Hell, I read cereal boxes, so why not?), but the lady is gettin' NONE of my money.

    As far as the other is concerned... I'm prolly doomed to do it all over again, as most Buddhists are. I only hope I come back as the proverbial but oh-so-elusive hooker with the heart of gold. Actually, I'd be satisfied with any human form. I don't wanna do bugs or even mammals... that "brutish and short" thing. ;-)

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  12. I only hope I come back as the proverbial but oh-so-elusive hooker with the heart of gold.

    Bwahahahahahahahaha!

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  13. Yikes. Some things need to stay unthought of.

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  14. I would never admit to working in a suicide hotline. Could catch a virus, or something.

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  15. I hope the floor was fairly clean. I hated when I have tale-tell signs of grass or dirt on my beehind.

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  16. So NOW, Lou comes clean.

    We knowed it all along...

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  17. I would never admit to working in a suicide hotline.

    Hey... I met the coolest people there. Really. More than a few hot nurses, a couple of pretty cool social workers, and various and sundry others. Don't forget... I was a plastic hippie in the way-back. Those types were my peeps.

    I hope the floor was fairly clean.

    It was. We had this very nice oriental wool rug someone donated to the center and it was always clean. Hard on the knees, tho. ;-)

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  18. Like the old Tom cat say's
    "It's where you find it!"

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  19. Hey... I met the coolest people there

    I can believe that. I'm just worried that I would get too involved. Mebbe not help.

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  20. Younger daughter is a social worker. A social worker working on her MSW who has, in the years since getting her BSW and working as a case worker, become a raging conservative. She confides in her Lawyer-mother a lot, in confidence. So, I understand a lot. And judge little.

    God works in strange ways sometimes.

    No letters, please.

    Deb is right -- the Google is laughing. W/V -- fornic. *snort*

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  21. "fornic?"

    Bwahahahahahahaha!

    I actually didn't have anything to comment...just wanted to see what The Gooble would throw as a wv.

    Nyuk... "prics"

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  22. Moogie: There ain't nuthin' like a head-on collision with the real world to get your mind right. Anyone's mind, actually.

    Andy: WV IS entertaining, innit?

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  23. I've never had any social problems. If people hate me, I hate them back.

    If they like me, I tolerate them.

    I need another drink after my confession... "Honey bunch, my glass is empty!" Oh, darn, that's right, she's volunteering at the suicide line tonight...

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.