Navigating the shoals

Sometime after Robin died I asked Alex what's the therapy routine - would I see him for six months, a year? Would I always see him every week or would it evolve to monthly?

I never could have imagined that I could have seen him for two years and still have something to talk about. I think in all this time I've only shown up twice feeling like there wasn't anything to talk about and yet there was still plenty to discuss. The schedule has varied - sometimes going once a month and then going back to every other week.

He recently commented that in the time I've seen him I have accomplished more than many folks accomplish in ten years. Was that a comment on the effort that's been put forth - or a comment on how nuts I was when I first entered his office? No, I really did take it as a compliment! :)

Though I'm very confident these days in my assessment of potential relationships my thoughts are still occasionally led astray by old habits. It doesn't take much prompting from Alex to know when I'm looking at a dead end. In fact, I now occasionally hear his questions in my head when I'm trying to evaluate a situation objectively. I feel like the journeyman mariner who's learned over time to navigate the shoals but still gets a gentle reminder from the old ship's captain.