It has been a good many months since I last updated, *I think*, but as is the case with this crazy life on this absurd planet - a lot has happened.
My daughter is about to embark on her last year of college and her 21st birthday. (It's so surreal to even type that. My baby is turning 21. When the F@*# did this happen, and why wasn't I consulted?) She is loving her internship as a 911 dispatcher, and making almost as much money as I do. She's pretty much the most amazing young woman on the planet as far as I'm concerned.
My son is about 2 years into his current job and going to PT on Tuesdays and Thursdays to prep himself for his enlistment, which will begin the first week of December. Two weeks before his birthday and 3 weeks before Christmas. *Cue ugly cry* The holidays will be hard this year. So hard. I'm immeasurably proud of him. He's taking on a challenge that he knows will be hard and unpleasant (I certainly know that I couldn't do it - even in my best physical and mental shape) but he's headstrong and tenacious, and pretty much the most amazing young man on the planet as far as I'm concerned.
And then there's me... I feel like I've been writing nonstop for months. I've spent a good majority of my time basking in the light of the computer monitor (which is not the most flattering lighting, by the way) for both personal and professional exploits. Work is going very well, and I'm grateful every day to be putting my energy into the pursuit of a better world for the bright, incredible, resilient little girls I've come to know and love. My work (and those girls) have been the catalyst for some personal changes in my life as well.
I've opened up about some of my own experiences, which has given me a voice in the advocacy for a solid education and the pursuit of opportunities to bridge the gender divide. I've also been in therapy for over a year to learn better coping mechanisms and (ironically enough) communication skills. That's a rollicking good time, let me tell you...
Writing has been cathartic but it has had a purpose, most of which is scholarship applications, college entrance essays and required writing samples. Yup, I'm going back to school. Considering my workload, it's bound to be a huge challenge, but there are a bevy of accelerated distance learning programs. I applied to several (which admittedly hurt my wallet, but I suppose I need to get used to that) and as of today I've received acceptance letters from USF and *drumroll, please* the extension program at UC Berkeley.
My motivations are both personal and professional - I'd like to have the knowledge and the credentials to do more than I'm doing now in the nonprofit (or corporate) world, and I need the personal fulfillment. I'm done with the cycle of learned helplessness. I'm done believing those who have called me 'stupid'. I know better.
So, there ya have it - my little world in a nutshell. Perhaps I'll update in another 5 months or so... but don't hold your breath. I'm nothing if not spontaneous and inconsistent. :)
Namaste, friends.
