I think this is for last weekend. Losing track a bit.
The main things I've been doing are cleaning up from the move, and masters admissions things. There were a couple islands of boxes and stuff from our move to the new house, and I've been steadily unpacking and putting those things in temporary houses. once they're out of the moving boxes, or the permanent boxes they are in are wiped clean and out of the way, I can begin a konmari tidying pass, getting rid of some of the extra stuff I've accumulated over the years. They I can give my stuff more permanent homes. And finally, I can get in the habit of putting stuff into it's home after I'm done using it. Though perhaps I should be doing some of that habit formation already.
There is an interesting paradox to it all, as things take up the most space in the beginning, and then get smaller, as items get consolidated by group, and discarded. Thus, I kind of want to do this before I buy any more furniture, because I might not need anything else, or very little.
I'm making good progress. There is very little left in the big piles anymore. Another few days working on it, maybe 4, and that first phase should be done!
More exciting news: I've been accepted to both masters programs I applied too. I've got a week (now more like 4 days) to make my decision. I think I've already decided on which program I'll do, the decision made easier by the fact that it costs half as much as the other program. Kind of mind blowing, the price difference. Not sure how they justify the price, though the more expensive program does seem better organized, a bit more polished. But I like the feel of the smaller program. I've always been a small, intimate school kind of guy.
Now I've got to make the final decision. I suppose it's easy enough to do a semester and leave if it's not my thing, but really, there's no way to tell if it's "my thing" without actually doing an internship or some other kind of practice. I've done about as much research as I can, aside from that. From interviewing people in the field, to reading an introductory book that goes over all the core skills and such that clinical counselors need.
I've gathered as much information as I reasonably can, ditto for introspecting and reflecting. I now have to make a decision based on uncertain and incomplete information.
I don't think I want to be just a traditional therapist. (If there even is such a thing.) I'm pretty sure I want a mixture of writing, one-on-one, and group classes. And I don't just want to deal with problems, but also work in a positive psychology way, helping people grow their strengths and develop resilience. And I want to be teaching social-emotional (and what I might call spiritual, or mindfulness) skills.
A lot of that I'm already theoretically qualified to do, via having a teaching masters. Maybe a certificate or some experience with a group that's doing this sort of thing would give me useful skills and credibility. But I could theoretically just start doing it now. I could try and do both, but that would be all my time. Unpacking and organizing would slow to a crawl. Not to mention all the learning I want to do in preparation for maybe becoming a dad in the not-to-distant future.
Several good options, and no clear winner. The masters may win out because of the additional time cost if I decide not to do it now, and then change my mind in the future and have to re-apply. But really it feels pretty even all around. However, I once again have a deadline, so I've got to make the decision one way or another, quite soon. See you then.
With love and gratitude,
-I Out
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