I'm Back!

Wow, it really has been a while, now, has it not?
I apologize for the delay since the last post...unfortunately, the demands of thesis/grant proposal development can take its toll, especially when paired with grad classes.

But now, here I am, so much further along with my thesis since I last posted, and feeling so much more on top of things, so to speak. Right now, after a week with a statistics midterm and a thesis literature review, just one presentation tomorrow stands between me and a weekend full of time with my fiance (and how appropriate, Valentine's Day is almost here!) and time of rejuvenation.

And it is right there where I (perhaps) possess one of my largest and most blaring weak points: After being used to intense and prolonged cycles of studying, class, research, studying, (eating somewhere in there,...oh, and sleeping sometimes), etc...I find it tough to switch gears to "rest-mode," if you will. It's hard to fully explain, yet, try to imagine how difficult it can be to switch from doing reps of push-ups to reps of squats, then trying to stretch it out...that stretching is not the easiest thing to do, yet it is useful to keep your muscles from seizing up. Perhaps that's the best way to put it: I have strained my intellectual muscle to the point of seizing, quite often.

It is at this point that I find it so crucial to practice what can often be seen on the surface as a selfish indulgence: the concept of self-care. Honestly think over this for a moment. How can one, if his or her profession is to serve others, provide the standard of care necessary to treat disease, mental illness, etc. if that same provider of care does not know how to care for himself/herself? It's a concept that I am sure most of us have grappled with at one point or another, yet how difficult it is sometimes! Especially when the demands are great and immediate...

All that aside, I believe that, at the least, this weekend will prove to be one in which I can enjoy the company of another, one who has become my partner in life and who I look forward to sharing challenges that will come in waves and storms. Indeed, I shall look forward to sharing more moments with her, my future wife, such as the time we shall spend together this Valentine's Day weekend :).

Along those lines, I pose this for the dialogue: Who is the person with whom you can truly rest with? With whom can you feel at peace and leave with a sense of peace? And I know that there are plenty out there who might cite references to Higher Power (ie. Jesus, God, etc.), yet, I am intentionally asking this on a more social level. For, none, and I mean NONE, of us were meant to go Lone Ranger in life. I cannot help but feel a certain Power of Grace and Peace that does flow from a bond full of truth (eg. blunt honesty) and grace (eg. allowing room to just vent). What about you?