How loud does the Universe have to shout before I listen? Redbird is the final song on the project I am so proud of, CoCo O’Connor’s Big Reveal album. For weeks I have been posting on Facebook and Instagram about Buddy, my redbird friend, hopping and flying so close to me even follows me at times. So obvious, yet I missed it.
Month: August 2022
Interviewing a person with Bipolar Disorder
Interviewing a person with bipolar disorder presents a challenge. Will her mental health diagnosis influence whether you hire her or not. I hope this post is interactive, and that you will answer the questions as you read. The links at the bottom are good self-checks.
Imagine that you are interviewing someone for a position that involves interaction with the public. The person has all the qualities needed to do the job well. She has the communication skills needed. She is knowledgable. She personable. Her references are good. You are pretty sure you will hire her, but a second interview is company policy. At the board meeting that day, someone comments, “You do know she is bipolar?” Would that knowledge, change your decision? (Legal ramifications are outside the scope of this post.)
I have bipolar disorder and have been interviewed and hired or not hired several times, both with the interviewer being aware I have bipolar disorder and not being aware. I neither have a definitive answer nor do I think anyone does. Somedays I would not hire myself, but my past employment history shows those who did hire me are not sorry.
If you are interviewing a person with bipolar disorder, understanding a few key points should help. First, no two people who have bipolar disorder are alike. Even if you have past experience with people who have bipolar disorder, you will be doing this sperson with bipolar disorder a huge injustice if you judge her by your past experience. The same is true if you judge her from your exposure to characters with bipolar disorder in books, television series, or movies. Those are is seldom accurately portrayed.
To do the person and your company justice, educate yourself. The following links are a good start.
The myths: https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/bipolar-on-the-big-screen-accurate-or-not?ap=2006
Bipolar Disorders information from Psychiatry.org: https://psychiatry.org/patients-families/bipolar-disorders/what-are-bipolar-disorders
Bipolar Disorders information from Psychology.net: https://www.psycom.net/bipolar-disorder?ap=2006
Life
For several years, I have posted about feeling I was in between the present and something new. Well, that new is my new normal. I am no longer an educator; I am coasting out of songwriting; I am still a creative catalyst for others because I believe that is a gift I have been given with the responsibility of using it.
I have also posted a lot about age. That will continue, the postings and age itself. I was born in 1945 which some classified as the first year of the Baby Boomer Generation. I more identify as The Silent Generation. I missed being a hippie, certainly no drugs, and free love. At nineteen, I was a mother and a wife. There’s a Doctor Who quote that I love. He says, “I came the long way around.”
Songwriting? There’s another saying. Don’t stay too long at the party. Leave on a high note. I began writing songs in the seventies. It’s time. I cowrote all ten songs on CoCo O’Connor’s new album, The Big Reveal, which is getting rave reviews within the industry and other listeners. That’s a high note for me and a big reveal in my life. More about that later.
I am embracing being a novelist. Technically, I do not think I truly am until I am published, but I never have cared much about technicalities. I write every day. Most days I show up at 9:00 to write with a group of women from Women’s Fiction Writers Association on Zoom for ninety minutes. Many days I write with them at 12:00 for another ninety minutes. I am perfecting the craft. Yes, I have been writing for years, but writing books is new to me. I use the analogy that building a basic box is easy, but carving a beautiful, intricate box with secret compartments is not. Some days I am discouraged because I know the odds. Other days I am content with the journey. I believe our days are a testament to others. I hope I am leaving a legacy of staying passionate and true to wherever energy calls. That keeps me positive. I go to bed looking forward to writing in the morning.
I am revamping this blog to more easily share my life – now. Some things are in my life to stay, like family, flowers, birds, lyrical lines, and quilting.
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