Re-entry

I’ve been going through a significant transformation in my life as I have entered into seminary. Attending a two-week intensive class created the catalyst to reform my sense of identity. I was feeling a bit awkward in my first steps down the new path, preparing to leave for Indiana and doing the preliminary assignments. However during those two “intense” weeks away from home with my fellow distance students, I forged a sense of myself as a seminary student and vital connections to my peers. Returning to my life was disorienting and I’m finally starting to feel grounded in this reality.

I had been feeling especially blessed because of how healthy I was feeling. Even with only half an hour of sleep on the morning I departed (shuttle picked me up at 3:50am!), I felt amazingly well. Then during the class I focused on self-care which wasn’t difficult when you step outside the housing to see deer grazing and then walk down a winding path to waterfall each day. It wasn’t until this first week back home that the pressures finally manifested in my physical symptoms. I started feeling achy and realized I was coming down with a bug. I have been partially successful in fighting it off, as I haven’t developed any respiratory symptoms so far. However, I felt woozy and couldn’t keep my eyes open on Friday plus developed significant pain in my arms. I never figured out exactly why, but it hasn’t been uncommon for me to have flair up in my Fibro or TOS symptoms when I’ve been sick.

So I’m not really concerned, just trying to focus on taking care of myself. The tough part is dealing with the combination of classes, working at the job that I’m leaving, plus finding a new job. I’ll be glad when I get through saying goodbye to my old job and find a new job that is compatible with my new life as a full-time student.