i can and i will....graduation ahead!

It's April. A week into April, at that. And I'm not really even sure how it got here. I'm still questioning what happened to January through March. I'm sure that when I think about it, something called life happened. But, doesn't make it seem any less surreal that I will graduate with my Master's degree in a mere FIVE WEEKS. That's actually 36 days from now, if any of you are keeping count. And the only thing I've done in preparation to graduate is apply & purchase my cap & gown. ha. I should probably get on the creative process of those announcements!

I feel overwhelmed with excitement, anxiety, and stress right now. I'm insanely proud that I've managed to come this far in my education and have worked every day of my life to get the point I'm at now; but at the same time, I find it odd to think about how after being in school 20/23 years of life that I'm finished. Not indefinitely, as I hope to eventually pursue a degree at the doctoral level; but for a year or so, I'm done. No more 5 hour nights of class. No more rant sessions with my cohort when things just don't seem to be going right. Less stress. Less time commitments. Just me, my commute (which will hopefully be reduced soon), and my job. Weird.

I've spent at least the last two years waiting to think about what this moment would feel like and what I'd do with it...and now part of me is scared to be done. Who am I without school? What do I do with that extra 40 hours a week that I devote to my education? I've made memories with my classmates that I'll never forget and I've made connections with professors, classmates, and colleagues that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I'm so thankful that I get to maintain those through employment with Lindsey Wilson College. It's home. And I'm so glad that I don't really ever have to leave!

Yes, that's where I've been at in the past few weeks. Grappling with this crazy idea of graduation, trying to ensure that I have everything in order to pass all my classes this semester, and trying not to let the juggling of work, school, internship, family life, and friends whisk me up too quickly. Balance. Balance. Balance. I will get there. I can and I will.