CAPS Appreciation Day

Yesterday I attended something that I helped organize. The CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy) program brings the police and the community together for the common good so that we can work together to make our neighborhoods clean and safe. Well yesterday we had CAPS Partnership Day, a day to appreciate what CAPS offers to the community and to meet the officers who work in Neighborhood Relations. It was a huge success as we had approximately 500 people attend from all over the district. I ran from one side of the parking lot (where we held it) to the other doing different things and this was no small lot. Running out of breath on occasion created panic attacks but I didn't let them stop me. I merely took a time-out, did my breathing exercises, saw some very friendly faces and I relaxed. I'm learning all kinds of new things in cognitive behavior therapy and putting them to good use. I'm very proud of myself for getting through yesterday. It was definitely a milestone. And to add to it, towards the end of the day, I went to the station to use the bathroom and had no anxiety at all for the first time. I'm a happy guy with how that turned out.