6/21/2024 day 265, Friday, Last Day of Work

I woke up around 7:30 a.m. at my campsite. And around 8:30 I drove to work.

I arrived at work around 9:00 a.m. it was my last day.

I walked around the city of Lawrence in the morning.

Then in the afternoon I drove around all the encampments with my boss, the director. I showed her where all the encampments were. We talked with people and we brought drinks and I provided some medical supplies. There were a lot of hugs and everybody was sad to see me go. My boss was really emotionally affected by the impact I had on our clients. The last person we saw was Jess who lives in a large tent behind a building along the tracks. I’d helped Jess a lot, I had also helped her husband Pedro who is now in jail for assaulting a man that was beating his girlfriend. Jess was now on methadone which had been very helpful to her. She gave me a big hug and told me she didn’t want me to leave. I told her that she can rely on herself and make the right decisions. I let her know that she was doing really well.

When my boss and I walked back to the truck, my boss said that she was impressed with the relationship I built with so many people. I told my boss that the secret sauce to helping others is genuinely caring about human beings.

I left work around 6:00 p.m. and said goodbye to all the shelter guests and the staff. I drove to my girlfriend’s apartment and I spent the night with her and her son.