SJ Project: One final thought

Today in our last social justice class, we talked about what we're grateful for from the class, from the MSW program, and from others. There is a lot to say. Often lately, I find myself focusing on the negatives or what I wish was different, but for all the cons, there is a huge pile of pros. I am so very grateful to my cohort and the faculty for the learning I receive from them through personal stories and class work. I'm grateful for the new connections I've made with such a diverse group of people. I'm thankful for the time to pursue this goal, to think, feel, and share in my learning with others. I'm thankful to feel so passionately about so many aspects of the field, and I'm thankful for this life-long learning process.

But, most of all, in sharing what I'm thankful for today, I'm so incredibly grateful to my family and friends who support me in pursuing this field. They show up in numerous forms, through long distance phone calls and funny emails, and in their presence and understanding when I'm distracted or have little time or energy to give. All of them remind me to think with my heart as well as my head, and knowing each of these people gives me strength. In particular, TBF has been amazing this quarter. I felt emotional talking about him in class today, because I feel so lucky to have his ongoing love and support, even when I'm a bit of a nightmare (which is more than a little this quarter!).

Our discussion in class reminded me of one other piece I wanted to include in these posts, but I got wrapped up in talking about messier stuff. The posts got really long. Last week, when walking to the bus stop listening to my player, Nada Surf's Always Love came on. I hadn't heard the song in a while, and it came at the perfect time. I've written before that I feel Love is the whole point. It's the foundation for how I choose to live my life, and I wish to hold on to my love for others and myself in my work. Lately, that hasn't been at the forefront of my mind, but I knew I wanted to incorporate the song into my project. And now, I was reminded again today.

So, here is Nada Surf's Always Love. While I think some of us are given taller, rockier mountains than others in our society, how we choose to approach and climb those mountains are often matters of choice. I'm choosing to operate from a place of love.