It’s been one year since the completion of the path to my career. The start was 7 years ago. I was pregnant with Ariel and I google searched “Graduate Schools”. Then, I drove to Minneapolis and asked to walk around St. Mary’s University with the admissions counselor.
In my phone, I found the people who I could ask to write me letters of recommendation. The people I asked were gracious and wrote well of me. 10 days after Ariel was born, I was at an interview at St. Mary’s. I remember that it was hard to find pants that fit and that I drank a Mountain Dew, because I was so tired. Also, my boobs hurt. For people who have not experienced breast-feed…well that’s a rant for another time.
A few weeks later, I got a packet in the mail with an acceptance to begin. The first class I took was Developmental Psychology. I remember that, when we covered Adolescence, the professor talked about a concept called “Personal Fable”. That phrase changed the way I see the world. I remember thinking, “I’m 30 years old. Do I still have that?”
We were assigned to write a 20 page paper. It was hot that summer, and we did not have air conditioning at that time (this was real dumb…when I think about it now. But at the time, I thought that air conditioning was wasteful). I remember my sweat falling onto my keyboard while I worked. My sister, Tina, came over to watch my kids while I got this done.
Here is a part of that paper:
“Equality
Equality begins with each of us. The very concept of ‘disability’ is a social construct frequently created by the lack of opportunities for individuals to increase their skills (O’Brien 1986; as noted by Aldridge 2010). Realizing that all people have talents, time, and knowledge is one way to move away from thinking of oneself as a helper or as needing help to creating relationships which include interdependence (Aldridge 2010).
Perhaps all that is happening with our neurons is happening within our families is happening within our state is happening within our country and is happening within our world. We form connections, relationships, that can help us grow or cause us to wither and die. My biggest obstacle in life is a fear of failure. As a daughter, sister, wife, mother and neighbor, I take comfort in the following quote.
“Do not allow yourself to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.”
-Mother Teresa.”
I enjoyed writing down the things I had wondered about for so long. It made me feel solid, real, and purposeful.
That’s all I have time for today. Except to say that I’ve been eating foods high in Iron this week, and I’m feeling especially well right now. Maybe, when my kids are grown (not that I’m ready for that) I could study Dietetics/Nutrition. I’d like to learn how foods affect the way we feel and live.
Sincerely,
Terra Rose
PS. My husband doesn’t think I should go Canoeing alone on the Kickapoo River. I disagree…I’m not talking about a kayak…rather a sturdy canoe. And this isn’t the Mississippi river. Its a smaller one. Blurg. We’ll see what I do. I could literally walk a canoe down from my house…and its one of the things I was looking forward to doing when we moved here.
Life Without Montages 