I'll Be Home for Christmas

GUESS WHO'S OFFICIALLY COMING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS?!?!?!?

I've been stressing so hard over this. My life is just all a;slkjgad;slg;lsd right now, and I have no clue what will happen ever, so I've been trying really hard to go with the flow. But I need to come home for Christmas. NEED. I need to see family, see Christmas lights in the cold, help my dad prepare the shrimp, and, most importantly... help EAT the shrimp. And help drink the adult beverages. It's a very important job I have on Christmas Eve...

This upcoming Wednesday is my last day of work at my current place of employment. Today was my last day in the West Palm office. I had to say goodbye to my coworkers there, which was sad. I wouldn't have survived the past couple months without them. I'll be in the Stuart office tomorrow and Wednesday, running my last groups with my caseload up there. I hate saying goodbye to clients. Hate it. The ladies in my women's group are really upset that I'm leaving, and it makes me feel so guilty and sad. But, among other things, this place would not let me go home for Christmas, even without pay. I was going to have to work until 8PM on Christmas Eve. That is obviously not why I resigned, but do you know how upsetting that would have been for me?

My new job is much more flexible!

I'm going to start as a substance abuse counselor in a middle school here. That means school holidays off, including summer vacation. I will be able to get a part-time job in the summer to make some extra money and hopefully pursue something else I am passionate about on the side. Maybe get a job at M.A.C. or Sephora :) Plus, lots of time to visit family and friends and do last-minute wedding planning.

I think it's funny that I continue to gravitate toward working with children, even thought I keep insisting I would rather work with adults. Working with kids is a different kind of stress. You need to be patient, and you need the strength and assertiveness to work with their parents as well. That is the most difficult part. But when you actually help a kid learn to cope with something horrible, or steer them back on the right path away from substance use, or even just give them a reason to look forward to school every day, or give them the courage to go back home... that kind of reward is something I haven't found in any other aspect of this field.

That might sound selfish, but let's all be honest here. Yes, I wanted to get involved in this field because it's interesting, I'm good at it, and I feel like my background gives me a lot to offer as a counselor. However, you are all lying if you say you got involved in a helping profession solely for the purpose of helping others. You like to help others because it makes YOU feel good to make other people feel better. It's nice to know you're making a difference, sometimes a CRUCIAL difference, in someone's life.

Okay, I'm done my somewhat-controversial mini-tangent.

WE'LL BE HOME:
Friday, December 20th, at 10:00PM until Sunday, December 29th, at 4:00PM. Gotta catch the 6:00PM flight.

That gives us a good deal of time to see everyone! So if you're around and have some free time during the busy holiday week, please let us know.

Or you can just stop by my house after dinner on Christmas Eve and join me for my annual shot of Strega. Or 5.