Back again again
Looks like I'll be using this for journaling, since I already have the account and it goes way back and sometimes it's interesting to look back and see how much things have changed. On the other hand, it seems sort of cyclical because I'm looking good in entry 4 years ago in the same type of stuff is repeating again.
Where I'm at now. No longer religious at all. Leaving much further to the left, now exploring antiracist and closer to socialist than anything else politically.
My spouse came out as trans, so that's been an interesting change of things. We're still together, still poly-ish but neither of us have much time for dating. I've got kind of a long distance thing that somebody that's been going on for about 8 years, but he's seeing other people to.
I'm getting ready to finish yet another associates degree (my 3rd), in human services with a focus on addiction and recovery. I'll either be finishing my bachelor's degree in Sociology this spring or next fall, depending on if someone drops some of the classes I need and I can enroll in all of them or if I have to wait. I want to apply to grad school for my MSW, but at the same time the prospect is kind of terrifying.
It's been years since I posted last and I was right about the job at that time not working out. I ended up tripping on my steps and following, and hurting my wrist breaking the fall but my doctor only put me out of work one day. When it was so swollen the next day I couldn't even drive, I ended up getting written up and then got written up again for going in and not having the range of motion to meet production quota.
I ended up getting a job at a call center working with health insurance which was okay, then getting into car sales and working in that industry for several years in between my last entry and now. I really enjoyed it and spent the last 3 years working at a family and dealership where I moved from sales to being an internet and sales manager. I love the people and environment there but we got bought out by a corporate store and almost everybody left because of the changes they were making.
Now I'm really focused on school and moving into the addiction recovery and counseling field, with a goal of getting my Masters in social work soon and becoming a licensed clinical social worker and clinical addiction specialist. In the meantime, I'm working for a company that owns several medication assisted therapy (methadone and Suboxone) clinics. I started out working as a cashier about 8 months ago and recently started a position at a second clinic getting a peer recovery support group program up and running. I'm also working toward my clinical alcohol and drug counselor certification.
My plan is to stay in this field while I am working on my masters in social work and focus on counseling people in recovery, then when I eventually get my MSW and start working toward my LCSW where I can be an independent therapist to focus on both addiction and trauma recovery. I had thought about being a psychologist or counselor years ago and got away from it well trying to focus toward more lucrative careers, but I really enjoy this and it's a lot more fulfilling.
I also work a very early schedule, which means I'm off pretty early in the afternoon and get more time to spend with my family. My son is now in 7th grade and entering those very early teenagers and I feel like it's an important time to be more present in his life.
I'm working on a few changes for the new year's and some of those include journaling. Since this account was already here they will probably get me there and it may be a lot to do with answering prompts about goals and self-improvement and things than the regular diary type entries, but it's easier to keep track of things online than paper journals that I'll end up losing or throwing away.