Graduate school and my own physical and mental health, mostly.
On the graduate school front–I have officially submitted my application to Columbia University, and I am optimistic about my prospects. All that remains is to send along my transcript–and that’s easy (and in progress.) I have some other schools to apply to, but Columbia is the one I want the most, and I feel I have spent the last couple of months working very hard to make a case for admittance. Regardless of the outcome, I can rest knowing that I did the best I possibly could.
As relieved as I am, the process is still ongoing. I plan on submitting applications to Rutgers, University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr, and some others. It’s going to be one of those seasons of great stress, but the rewards will be worth it.
On the mental health front – it is November. November is a very difficult time for me every year, because I have a lot of traumatic events associated with it. I left home when I was 17 and emancipated in November-- by Thanksgiving most of my family had disowned me, I was working full-time as a high school student and felt very alone in life. Every year gets a little bit easier – I’ve gone from having full-out mental breakdown to really just having a hard couple of weeks. This year has exceeded my wildest expectations. I barely notice that it is November. Short of a few emotional posts to the SDMB, a few nightmares, and one sick day, I’m doing just fine. I’ve been too busy worrying about my future to notice my past.
It helps that I am in a completely new environment, New Jersey/New York. I’m not going home for Thanksgiving, but rather traveling to Syracuse to be with my Aunt, who is my best friend and favorite person on the planet. We have been apart too long and now that I live out here we are only 4 hours apart.
Physical health wise, today I have the day off work to take care of some medical issues that have been plaguing me for too long. I began treatment today for a chronic physical condition that has made my life miserable over the last year, particularly the last few months. I am extremely optimistic. I can’t wait to start feeling better so I can start running again.
And this might seem political but I don’t think it really is – I’ve made the decision today to become an active advocate of LGBT rights. I’ve always been an amateur advocate by nature of having so many gay and lesbian loved ones. I guess you can say it’s related to politics, but for me it is a personal opportunity to spend my time doing something good for my community. I love volunteering, I just haven’t done it in a while. Now is as good a time as any to start.
