While I will be taking on a new professional challenge, coordinating a program for survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking at the University of Arizona, this move is as much (if not more) about the personal than the professional.
Ever since my doctoral internship year spent at the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Center, Tucson has held a special place in my heart. I am looking forward to a slower pace of life, very different climate (with a whole new type of gardening) and more access to nature overall. These are all things that nurture and recharge me, which in turn keep me able to do this important work.
As I prepare for this move my feelings are many and varied. New beginnings come with endings. Change often involves loss. How hard it is to say goodbye to the local colleagues and clients who have impacted me so profoundly! How hard it is for us caretakers to put our own needs front and center!
As I engage in this process of saying goodbye, of profound change, I hope to model possibilities. It is possible to follow your dream, even when it means taking big risks. It is possible to stay present with your feelings, even when they are painful. It is possible for connections to matter and continue, even as they change form. Saying goodbye can indeed be difficult. Yet it is also an opportunity to continue to grow through staying present and connected, with all our feelings and experiences.
I do not know exactly what will come next, but I look forward to the journey and I will surely keep you posted.