Stretching Dollars

     In this article, I will attempt to find some links
for my wonderful readers that will aid the budget,
but still have fun aspects to them. I will attempt to 
find free to low cost activities or websites that can
answer questions. Mainly asking the question,


     "What is free to do around here?"

One good place to start would be your local library.

     This website just gets you there, but it is just a 
click away from what you may be looking for.

     public libraries around the nation

     Another place would be your local parks and
recreation departments. All you have to do is
click this:

     parks and recreation

     You could always check out free or near
free classes at your local adult schools and
night classes at the local high school in your
area.

     Good luck to you. And yours.

For a good link to learn about coupon savings
and how to get started at extreme couponing.
I found a blog that is quite useful and tells the
truth without all the advertisements that sometimes
stick around.

     How to Coupon Shop

     Find printable coupons here

     more coupons

things to do in san diego, ca

you can also google for your area. try your city's name with dot org at
the end. there might be a city link for your area.

kpbs on san diego activities for this summer 2015 

summer events in san diego, ca 

things to do with that special canine

   How bout a little time on your hands project?

When you click on this link, it has 173 manufacturer
web addresses. A good start. Happy Networking! 


   

The Good Samaritan

     Everyone has had at least one good samaritan in their lifetime, 

including me. I remember one in particular who approached me

when I was homeless and without shoes. But, the thing is is that

I was just living as homeless, because I had left my home during

a full blown episode. I left without shoes, as I have done in the 

past, and grabbed a blanket that looked warm enough to keep me

warm on a cold night.

     Wandering around various parts of town (I cannot fully remember

the parts of town that I had visited). I was performing pre-school

clown acts to draw attention, hoping someone would help me.

     I had aleady been arrested and not charged twice. I even left

the "tank" at the local jail without shoes. And it was soon after

this that a nice couple spotted me and the wife approached me

noticing I was barefoot and walking on glass.

     She said to me, " Please, can I buy you some shoes? What

size do you wear?"

     My reply is a bit fuzzy, but I acquiesced. She requested that

I wait for her near a shoe store, on a set of stairs close by. So, I

waited for what seemed quite a while and when she didnt come

back I took off continuing to wander.

     Somehow, she found me. Not too far from the stairs. My feet

were badly injured and when I thanked her for the shoes and put

them on, they fit so perfectly that it felt like my feet were bandaged.

That is not the first time I had wandered off without shoes, but it

was the first time someone had noticed with concern.

     I would like to thank that couple for such a generous gift and

concern. For at least a year, even after being found, those were

the only shoes I had to my name. "Thank you, (aunt luz)". I dont

know her true name, but that is the name my symptoms told me

belong to her. Thank you and may God bless the both of you. 

What is it like?

     No one has ever asked me what is mental illness like.  It has 

taken me a couple decades to finally be familiar with what is a 

symptom, what is a memory, what is a dream remembered.

     I am studying to become a peer to peer counselor.  I am majoring

in psychology, but have yet to do major classes, but almost done

with my general education requirements so I can dedicate the rest

of my studies to the ones that will get me that associate's degree.

    After twenty years, and being a third generation mental health

patient, I have come down to a single concept that almost everyone

would be able to envision. That is if you are open minded and 

feel comfortable with your current reality.

     You see, symptoms mimic each other but mostly are unique

to each individual. There is a degree of difference in awareness
recognition and the scientific awareness. As when you consider
something like the scientific findings of string theory. An awareness

that there are more dimensions than previously thought. Well,
mental illness is an unidentifiable awareness, unless you are the
one who is aware. 

     Now, as of yet, there is not a test to verify whether or not

these "symptoms" ( visions and hearing what others cannot see)

are real for the person going throughout them. I use the term

'throughout', because sometimes it feels like being infused with
an awareness.

\

     Now, I have one concept, that applies to both spiritual (those

that have gone from this world) and physical and that would be:

     
recognizing and communicating with those around you that are 

                             out of body.

     Some patients have yet to distinguish between their symptoms,to come 

close to explaining their realms of awareness and mistake the
ability as being on the spiritual plane. But, it is also like we are
on different plateaus of awareness and gathering information on levels

where we use our own memories. That makes every patient unique. 

Yet, the patient holds conversations that look like it is imaginary.
The topics are different, but the behaviors are alike.
Reactions to this awareness is also different.
Because everyone has their own family, friends, acquaintances.
The awareness plays on one's memories.

     I bring up the dimensions first, because it is like plateaus. Areas on
different levels like the different floors to a tall building. The plateaus of

how we are reached by the ones that are around us in out of body fashion,
communicating (with the mentally ill) for a variety of reasons.
Subliminally. Without getting awarenesses mixed up with one another.

     I need to make something clear. When considering a person's
actions and behavior, there is nothing different in a person's
character than what they already are. Like, drinking. If it is not
in someone's personality and character, they are not going to
do anyone harm. If you are not pre-disposed then you just plain
dont. You cannot use mental illness as a scapegoat. Those of
us with illness know full well that it has nothing to do with
a person's mental stability. And everything to do with pre-disposition.

  But, many, if not all of us, try to buck it (the diagnosis of mental
illness) off like a young horse,because no one asks for that
responsibility and lifelong restriction.

     Check out more info to get an insight on mental illness

by going to my article-

Vocabulary ABC's in mental health circles     or my article-

Surviving mental illness from the inside out- 2

     The more you know, the better your understanding.

     Happy reading!