do you have a minute?

A number of months back I believe I shared the story of Peter, and his famous call of “Cheepios!” With the pair of young women protectors who promised to take names and kick ass should anyone mess with him and his differences. Nobody did, and at the end of summer camp his mother proclaimed it the best summer ever in the life of Cheepios. As the camp counselor in charge of Peter and the girls group, his mom, brimming with gratitude, gave me a recipe for french onion soup as thanks. I was a camp counselor that summer of 1974 for the House of Seven Gables Settlement House in Salem, MA – my first dip into the vast pool of what are called ‘human services.’ These followed:

East Boston Social Center, Boston, MA; RASTA (runaway) House, Middleton, MA; Tri-Town Council on Youth and Family Services, Topsfield, MA; New England Memorial Hospital, Stoneham, MA; Listen, Inc., Saugus, MA; Drug and Alcohol Resource Program, Stoneham, MA; New England Home For Little Wanderers, Watertown, MA; and:

State of FL HRS, Deland, FL; ACT Incorporated, Daytona Beach, FL; Bay State Community Services, Quincy, MA; Merrimack Valley YMCA, Lawrence, MA; Wayside Youth and Family Network, Arlington, MA; Walden House, San Francisco, CA; AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Provincetown, MA; Morrison Child and Family Services, Portland, OR; Columbia Care Services, Portland, OR; and:

United Cerebral Palsy, Portland, OR; Life Works Group, Inc., San Diego, CA; Aspire Community Services, San Diego, CA; United Cerebral Palsy, San Diego, CA. Twice for New England Home, twice for Walden House, twice for Bay State. A substance abuse program I can’t remember in Portland, OR. A disability support program I can’t remember in Encinitas, CA. And yes, there were added spices along the way:

A nursery (plants) in Edgewater, FL; my own lawn care Vero Beach, FL; reporting High School sports Newburyport, MA and San Clemente, CA. Selling art, selling writing. But it’s mostly been the ‘human services’ gig, the opportunity to be of some use with and for fellow human beings here and there. And that’s what’s shown up in “Couch Surfing at 70” each day of this week, a few brief stories of travel along the way.

Were there time and space I could go on sharing more stories, so many, many more. But I’m off to work as ‘job coach’ here in the Ocean Beach and Hillcrest neighborhoods of San Diego. When Aretha sings “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” I get to ask myself how much help have I been able to offer all throughout the reality of the above list? How much help have I received back?