And then I thought to myself, "somebody's using their crisis survival skills!"

As much as I felt DBT was a waste of my time, and quite possibly the most irritating class I've ever been required to participate in, I am so glad when someone who needs that kind of structured thinking is able to use it.

I fought so hard to try to keep her sane and rational. I tried so hard to keep her out of trouble and out of the hospitals that make her worse. But, every time I thought she was improving, every time I thought she's getting better, I was always proved wrong. I'd be telling her not to punch a hole through her mother's car windows. I'd be in the waiting room of EMH. I'd be on the phone, holding back tears, as she told me she'd only be away for few weeks. For a period of time, I had McLean's on speed dial. And that was only the half of it. But, today, when she called me crying, explaining just how sad and disappointed she was, but how it was alright because it wasn't "the end of the world", I knew something so very beautiful was starting to happen. She was evolving. She can look at life, admit that it's terrible, and try to push through it anyway. For a moment, not only was I stunned, I was so happy.
She's not the center of my life anymore. I've got other potentially worse things to deal with. But, god, does it feel good to see her actually doing better. So good.