By Cindy Adams
"We’re ready! Always!" That’s Brian's answer when you ask what normal life looks like for him and Jonny. Brian is Jonny's Family Care Provider at enCircle. They are wired similarly, which might explain why they have stayed together for four years now. They both get restless if they sit too long. So, they don’t!
Their favorite outings include Starbucks, movies, restaurants, bookstores and antique stores. They find a reason to get out the door six days a week. Only Sunday is off-limits, reserved on principle as a day of rest.
Brian came to this work with a bit of a head start. He spent years as a special education teacher and later managed a group home before joining enCircle, where he's now served for more than a decade. He's seen several pairings. This one, he'll tell you, just works.
"There are a whole lot of people out there that don't participate in as many activities as Jonny does," Brian said. "He has a very full life."
In addition to his excursions with Brian, Jonny goes to a program called Club Rec four days a week. Club Rec, operated by Sheltering Arms Rehab Center, offers him social, creative, and fitness activities.
One of Jonny's many great loves is books. His room is overflowing with memoirs and biographies. Brian said that if someone dies, Jonny must have a book about them. But his most purchased books are cookbooks.
Brian jokes that if Jonny brings home one more cookbook, he's going to jump off the moon. Jonny buys the cookbook anyway. And the two of them flip through the pages and discuss what Brian might be able to make. Brian warns he's not taking on some elaborate recipe!
This kind of banter only works between two people who actually enjoy each other’s company, which is maybe the real story. Beyond the busy schedule, Brian simply shows up every day. And he’s always ready to go wherever Jonny wants to go next. That's the whole job, really, and the whole friendship, too.
At enCircle, one of our Guiding Principles is ABUNDANCE. We believe that all people should have the opportunity to lead full, successful and complete lives. Just like Jonny.
