Remember yesterday, when I said I wasn’t sure what to do with the sixteen hours a week that I’m meant to be in practicum? 

Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve been studying. 

I remember being so confused by grad students back when I was an undergrad at the University of Oregon.  I felt like they were somehow always studying, researching, and writing.  It was rare to see a group of grad students; I usually just saw individuals sitting solo for hours with scrunched foreheads in remote campus locations.

Back then, grad students were out-of-this-world to me. 

Why would anyone choose to do as much tedious work as they were doing?  Did they really not have time to socialize, or is every graduate student anti-social?  And honestly, is there anything interesting enough to research for an entire semester? 

But now that I’m a grad student, I’m beginning to understand the world of the advanced degree a bit more.  During my first year, I worked 40 hours a week, taught kickboxing classes, and went to school full-time.  I envied the students who were capable of studying all day as I skimmed chapters while shoveling food in my mouth during my hour-long lunch breaks. Rather than spending weeks on research papers, I pulled weekend-research-marathons and spurted out as much literal jumbo necessary to get a passing grade (which, in grad school, needs to be a B or above). 

I’ll admit, last year wasn’t my greatest year.  And I didn’t do my greatest work.  But I did what I needed to do in order to get by. 

But that was last year. 

This year, I’m free of the office job and have much more time to a) take care of myself and b) study! 

I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve always been big on studying.  I truly enjoy learning [especially when it comes to what I’m interested in] and am really glad to have the time to soak in a ton of knowledge this year. 

Especially since I actually like my courses this semester.  Right now I’m taking a Chemical Dependency course, Social Work Practice with Individuals, and 16-Hours of Practicum per week.  And since my practicum fell through [super]late-notice, I’ve had those extra hours to get a head start on all the readings this week [we’re talking multiple chapters for a single session here]. 

[this is what our high-tech, fancy distance-education classroom looks like]

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I haven’t just been studying for my masters program, though [over-achieve much?]. 

I finally got my materials to study and sit for the National Academy of Sports Medicine exam to become a Certified Personal Trainer! 

This is something I’ve been talking about for a while now, and I’m stoked to finally be starting on the path.  My end goal isn’t necessarily to become a full-time personal trainer at a gym, but rather to have a therapeutic practice [as a Licenced Clinical Social Worker] that will help individuals with issues such as food addiction and sustainable weight loss.  I want to be knowledgeable in as many areas as possible, and that’s why I’m becoming a personal trainer.  Although I believe healthy living to be mostly mental and emotional, this will give me the physical knowledge I need to round out my knowledge. 

The training program also gives me an opportunity to get to know my body a bit more [it’s pretty awesome learning all the technical terms for what’s happening when I train].  Plus, it’s always nice to have the option to do just training too! 

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So the plan for today?  Some at-home asana.  A couple more chapters for my all-day Saturday class.  A nice swim.  The “Basic Exercise Science” section.  Body work by a friend.  Some errands.  And a green plate dinner with Ben. 

I am so grateful.

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Do you have a new-found appreciation for something that used to seem a chore?  What are you grateful for today? 

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