man, I smell a lot of shit. (also, awesome day at work)

Literally.
Dealing with teens/young adults who need help toileting means me smelling a
LOT
of shit.
Which is totally okay. I mean, it certainly isn't preferable, but whatever.

Anyway.
That was just a thought this morning when one of my consumers took a big dump. Cute, I know.
But it's the job!

Speaking of my job, I was asked by the program director to accompany one of the consumers to her meeting. He said "with her doctors." I assumed, oh, four or so people, plus the director and the owner.
I was so wrong.

I arrived, was rushed to the upstairs of a downtown professionals building, and there were like, ten people. Waiting. They gave me a "visitor" badge, which went below my employee ID badge, and we were hurried into a small conference room with, I kid you not, about fifteen people who were, in way or another, this consumer's teachers, therapists, behaviorists, doctors, mother, my boss and so on. Then, on the television were a panel of doctors from San Francisco. Seriously. We were camming with all these influential doctors and discussing this consumer's behavior, personality, etc.
And I was there to play with her during this time (this consumer has Autism) and basically keep her distracted during this supposedly three hour meeting.
I got out a drawing pad and we drew to her heart's content, which was mostly outlining her hand, sometimes my own, and filling entire pages with color (shading an entire page). At one point, she stood up and walked to the door. Of course, everyone watches us, and I had been directed to take her out if she wanted to go, prior to the meeting beginning (I had about ten minutes of prep for this meeting). I followed her and said, "would you like to go on a walk?" She opened the door.
I walked out in front of her and put my hand back for her to hold, and she closed the door in my face.
This was funny, go ahead and giggle.
The entire panel of doctors, my boss and program director and I all laughed.

I went back in after a minute, sat down in a different place and eventually went back over to draw with her some more. After a while, she notices the ink all over my hands from drawing and holds my palm up in front of her face, licks her hand and does the motherly spit-wipe to clean me up. Yes, it was sort of yucky, but mostly it was adorable. She was looking after me. Or maybe just exercising her OCD.
Either way, hilarious.

Afterwards, a few of the doctors approached me.
"You were amazing!"

... Um... Huh?

"You were! She was so QUIET and focused with you! You were incredible!"

In the elevator, the program director and my boss told me I had done a perfect job, my boss gave me a high-five and they told me the consumer's mom seemed to like me. On the way back, the program director offered to buy me lunch and drive me home (I walk). I took him up on the offer and we got some bagels and coffee.
He told me impressing "big wigs" like those doctors was a big deal and impressive in itself.

And so


I FEEL FUCKING AWESOME!

Hello, weekend!
I'm so excited!