I've started several of my detail jobs with the disclaimer that I thought the project would be a waste of time or that I wouldn't be interested in ever doing that specific task again but ended up loving the result. Well this week is not one of those weeks. I decided to clean my air vents and the results were anti-climatic.
Accomplishing work on my occupation this week was difficult. We had the flu go through the house. Each of my girls got sick then me and my son, it was long and drawn out and it was all I could do to get the basics done this week. Working on car detailing just felt like another assignment to get done due to my circumstances.
The occupation I chose can be a co-occupation or it can be done independently. The first two projects I did were with my father in law and I plan to do a few more with him as he has tools and knowledge about projects I'm interested in that I hope he will share with me. My son also helped me with my occupation one week and we worked together to get my car's exterior washed and the interior dusted and windows cleaned. However I've done several weeks of work on my own without anyone teaching me or helping me and I didn't have any problems with that.
When I participated in working on my car as a co-occupation there was definitely shared physicality. I shared the same somewhat small space with another person working on the same car and sharing the same activity. As far as emotionality, in both cases the individuals involved had shown interest in and wanted to help with detailing the car. Everyone enjoyed the experience and had a positive experience. There was also shared intentionality as both times I had company the individuals were invested in a successful outcome as much as I was. Both my father in law and son wanted to help and appreciated the end result of the work we put in. Roles were also clearly understood in each case. When I worked with my father in law he was the expert and I was the student, while when I worked with my son I was the teacher and he was content to receive and follow through on instructions when needed.
Wanda Mahoney & Elysa Roberts (2009) Co‐occupation in a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, Journal of Occupational Science, 16:3, 170-179, DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2009.9686659
Alissa;
ReplyDeleteSo sorry that your family had a sickness bug invade your home! I was happy to see you in class today and hope you're on the mend!
I'm assuming this is a vehicle you regularly use (but, correct me if I'm wrong); so, do you ever experience annoyance or feel discouraged when you spend time cleaning something like your seats or floor mats and they get dirty again within a day or so? I get super irritated when I take the time to clean something and it immediately gets dirty; so I was wondering if this occupation makes you feel something similar?
Hey Victoria! Thank you! We're recovering and all feeling so grateful to be healthy again.
ReplyDeleteYes, this vehicle is the car I drive everyday and it's been a struggle to let the kids eat or hop in with dirty cleats and sports equipment after I've cleaned it. I have to remind myself that this is the family car and they are providing me more opportunities to engage in my new occupation. We have had conversations about respecting other people's efforts and they are much more helpful cleaning up their belongings in the car.