Timing. Pt 2

So my last post was about timing. How you should never doubt the timing of your life. Well the craziest and most random thing happened to me last week.

I was out with my friend Sam at Panera.....which is OUR spot (something about that Plum Ginger Hibiscus tea gets me). While sitting on the patio, I noticed a man get off the bus in the middle of the street. Carrying papers.  A huge stack of them. White. Yellow. Pink. Then I saw it....the wrist band. That's when I realized this guy was probably just released from a hospital.

Anyone that knows me knows I'm vigilant. I can spot anyone at any time. I'm always mindful of my surroundings.....and I knew it was a matter of time before I came into contact with this man.

He walked up to our seating area, but not up to Sam and I......which I honestly thought he was going to. A minute or two later, a man and woman exited the Panera. He walked up to them and asked to use their phone. I couldn't hear much of their conversation, but from what I gathered he was 1) recently released from Loma Linda Behavioral and 2) had no idea where he was.

He hung up the phone and the couple walked away, and as they did they shot me a look. One I've seen before. One shot to my family and friends......when manic Jackie has decided to pay everyone a visit. He turned toward Sam and I and walked up to us. That's when he looked at me and asked "Do you know where Canyon Ridge is?"

--- Of course I know Canyon Ridge. I stayed there in 2006. The first time I was diagnosed. My first episode. The first time I realized I was and always would be different ---

I answered "Yes. Want me to call them?"

I called Canyon Ridge and explained what was going down. At this point, my new friend Kory had explained everything. He woke up at Loma Linda, no idea how he got there, thinking his name was Brad. We confirmed on his license.....it was in fact Kory. Canyon Ridge stated that while they could perform a psych evaluation and admit him based on necessity, they were a private facility and my friend Kory (without insurance) would be paying upward of $950 a night, with a $4,500 deposit.

Obviously this wouldn't work...and that's when they told me about Merrill Center, a short stay crisis stabilization unit. I asked Kory if he would be interested in going there, to which he replied "Yes. I just want help." I've never felt a sentence more my whole life. We called Merrill Center and spoke with admissions. Kory met the criteria for the unit. They would perform a psych evaluation, figure out the next best location for Kory to go, and provide him a safe space to sleep and eat until he made his transition.

I called Kory an Uber and 13 minutes later we met Rosalia, his friendly Uber driver. Kory cried and said he would never be able to repay me for what I had done for him. I cried too and chalked it up to just being in the right place at the right time.

Life is fucking weird. I had no intention of meeting Kory that night. I was at Panera with Sam...chatting about life, when instantly my life was changed when Kory crossed my path. I feel like we were both placed in each other's way for a reason. Something much larger than ourselves and what we could ever understand.

I was placed in Kory's path because I AM Kory. I've lived his life and walk in his shoes. I've been fortunate to always have the love and support of my family and friends. I've never needed to worry about being alone.....because I've been beyond blessed to never ever walk through life alone.

Kory was placed in my path because I AM Kory. He was my reminder. Of where I've been and exactly how far I've come. I've worked so hard to make sure I am ok. Not allowing my disorder to take over or control my life. While it will always be part of me.......I am in the driver's seat.

Timing is crazy. You never realize when you will cross paths with someone that needs you as much as you might need them.....without ever noticing how deeply you each needed it. Never ever question timing. God has mysterious ways of showing himself to you......and it is always when you least expect it.

So this one is for Kory. And for all of us like him. Maneuvering through life.....slightly lost....occasionally alone....but never without someone to help us when the going gets rough.

Next time you're out there.....remember we are all living life. Even if our situation seems different, or the grass seems greener, it isn't. We are ALL battling something....silent or not. So be kind to one another. Take the time to listen. Take a moment to be helpful. You never know when your small gesture could save someone's life.

Oh and yeah.....11 minutes later Rosalia text me that Kory made it to Merrill House safe.....and with a smile.

"Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who YOU are" - Harold S. Kushner