I have always had a deep connection to the outdoors. The further out that I have gotten, the further in I have been able to dive.  My experience has been that asking the real questions within, the questions that matter seemed to have always taken place in nature. The longer the journey out, the more miles logged and the more time away, has always brought me closer to the person I want to be. Of course we have to come back and when we do we have more balance to be able to manage our own lives and to be in a helping position for others.

Last time I chimed in I was thinking I needed to participate in the MSW program more. What I was thinking that meant was more time in my books and on the keyboard. After further evaluation I don’t believe it is more time there but more balance. If time is not spent outdoors, recharging, then a deeper connection to the material and the program is not obtained. Of course this is for me personally and in continued understanding of myself and how I function best. So sometimes I have to get out to get into it!

Wilderness Therapy, not outdoor boot camp but, letting nature begin to help us heal is something that very much interests me. It is something that I also see as a problem for many individuals today. We have a major disconnect from the earth and the positive energy which should be received.  As I continue on my social work journey I would like to explore this concept further and evaluate my own life and connection with nature, in hopes that I can improve as a person who has an increased capacity for compassion for others.

While I was in San Francisco recently I encountered a group of youngsters with their counselors for the day. It was a weekend program which allowed the kids to get out of their neighborhood and explore different parts of the area. Just a simple trip to the beach seemed like a valuable excursion for the kids, getting them out of the neighborhood they rarely leave. It had me researching some of the programs available to adolescents today. I am currently doing a project on supportive services for teens transitioning out of juvenile detention and it seems that programs that have an outdoor component are more important than ever. Hopefully more research and energy will be put into the benefits of these types of programs.

No more "gone fishing"

Catching on and catching up!!!!!!!!

So as you may be able to guess from my title something that can sometimes get me down is my wonderful superpower. If I were a superhero, which of course I am not, my special superhero power would be the power to procrastinate. In my comic strip, which takes place in an online MSW program, I can sit back until the very last minute and come in and save the day. Save the day in this case, is to get my butt in gear and finish an assignment with 2 minutes to spare. Some super power.

 

So what am I going to do in order to combat my procrastination? First thought is to not worry about anything until it is due. After further consideration this is not going to work for me. So instead of “gone fishing,” I will continue to have to protect my study time, my social work dedication and my continued life balance. Sometimes I have to say NO to family and friends and say YES to homework.  It is a learning process and not only am I learning about the subject matter, I am also learning about my own personality and the way in which I operate.  

Something that I will hope to contribute to the DL community is a positive approach. I may not bring much to the table but overall I would consider myself a positive person who looks for solutions to problems and not more complaints. As we learn to provide information and options to clients from a strengths based perspective I want to continue to move in that direction.  

Hello fellow social work students, friends and neighbors.  As usual I am getting to all of you a bit later then I should. My journey on in the MSW program reminds me of The Little Engine that Could.  If I remember correctly there was butter on the tracks and it took that Little Engine some time to get going on down the tracks. That is sort of my personality. I just need to get going and then down the track I go. I think I can, I think I can.

I always wanted to be a social worker….no I didn’t.  However some part of me may have always wanted to be a social worker but did not know what that means. Maybe I am still figuring that out too. What I do know is I have always had within me some core beliefs and values that line up with a career in social work. On the playground I didn’t want to help pick on the new or different kid. I wanted to help and listen and generally cared about the well being of the people around me. Now days I am somewhat of a hippie communist wanting everyone to feel good and have their share. Social work just feels right.

In my current position working for Humboldt County Social Services as an Integrated Case Worker I have had the opportunity to work with and observe the great and meaningful work that Social Workers do. I have seen them make a difference and something inside of me always said, “I can do that and I would be good at it.” So here I am.  

The light at the end of the tunnel for this little engine that could is completing my MSW program at HSU. I am fortunate to be a participant in the TITLE IV E stipend program in Child Welfare Services. I will complete my internship with the county in Child Welfare and continue working in my current position until the program is complete. At that point I will work within CWS for a minimum of 2 years as a Social Worker to meet my stipend program obligation. Don’t tell anyone but I would have done it anyway, ha!

I want you all to know that I really feel blessed to be able to participate in this program with all of you and hope to be able to work with each of you in some capacity before this journey and part of our lives is through.