It’s time for another update on my road to becoming an MSW, LSW, LCSW….

I have now just begun my final year of graduate school.  I have finished 36 hours (of 60) and I’m currently engaged in completing 13 more.  In the spring of 2014 I will have 11 left, and then…GRADUATION.  I have 245 days left to the big day, to be exact.  (Yes, I have a countdown app on my phone.)  Right now I am taking 3 classes and 20 hours per week of practicum.  Whew!  If you’re thinking that this sounds like a lot, you would be correct.  I have cut down my administrative work to approximately 1 day per week, and the rest of the time you can find me creating lots of new neuropathways in the classroom, reading books and articles, and learning at my practicum site.

I was thinking of writing about balance, and how important that is in life.  The truth is, when you are a single mom and graduate student and office manager and friend and family member and….all the other hats I’m wearing right now…balance is a very elusive thing.  I think it is pretty much impossible to really be balanced when that much is going on.  So I’m trying to remember to take care of my golf balls.  Yes, I said golf balls.  You’re intrigued now, aren’t you?

Golf balls are quite important, you see.  I think about this demonstration I saw once where the speaker held up an empty quart jar.  He filled the jar with golf balls.  Then he asked if the jar was full.  Yes, the audience agreed that it was indeed full of golf balls.  Then he poured into the jar a couple of handfuls of pebbles.  Now is the jar full, he asked?  Yes, the audience agreed that it was full.  Next he dumped in some sand.  He shook and tapped the jar on the table until the spaces between the pebbles had filled with sand.  Now, he said, surely the jar is full.  Yes, the audience laughed, now it is full.  Then he poured in two cups of coffee.  They fit into the remaining space with ease.

The moral of this story?  The contents of the jar are analogous to our lives.  The golf balls are the big things in life.  The most important things like family and friends.  We can have a full life with only these things.  The pebbles are things that are less important, but still take up time.  The sand is all the little things, like errands and such.  The speaker encouraged us to make sure we knew which things in our lives were most important, and to make sure to put those into our lives first.  If you were to add the sand and pebbles first, the golf balls would not fit.  When asked about the coffee, he stated that even if you’re busy with all of these things in your life, you still have time to have a cup of coffee with a friend once in awhile.  Great analogy, don’t you think?

So I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You to my golf balls….the people in my life who are most important to me.  You have encouraged me, helped me, held me up when I was too tired to go on, cheered for me, and supported me like crazy in this difficult journey.  To my sons Evan and Jake.  You cheer me on and keep me grounded with driveway basketball, movie nights, and all our other QT, and can’t wait for me to graduate 19th grade and become a “feelings doctor”.  To my FOO (that’s Family Of Origin)…Dad and Mom, Dan, Jane, Lar, Sal, Gail, and Anne and your families.  You pray for and encourage me and help me to remember why I’m on this crazy journey!  After all…you guys started it!  : )  To the best friends and mat carriers a girl could ever ask for…Kathy and Nicole.  You pick me up off the turf, keep me in line, and nurture me when I need it.  To Phil, Kim, Eddie, the extended care ladies, and everyone at my church.  How can I ever thank and repay you for your kindnesses to me?  You are the hands and feet of Christ.  And of course to the Family Tree staff who has taught me so much…Mark, Jerry, Andy, Jenn, Christy, Angie, Javan, Steve, Karen, and Jeff…and my Thursday night groupies.  You have helped me heal, and shown me how to help others heal.  Thank you all for your support and helping me make it this far.  I could not have done it without you guys.  We’re almost there!!!

Thank you most of all to my Heavenly Father.  He takes my breath away and absolutely spoils me.  My gratitude for His grace overflows.

Now, one day at a time.  One hour at a time.  One minute at a time…however far I have to break it down to make it to the next.  The next time I check in, it will be to tell you I have graduated!  Keep stopping back in the mean time, I will post more stuff that I’m learning whenever I can.  Thanks to you, too, for reading my work.  I really appreciate it.

Nancy Eisenman, MSW is an individual, marital, and family therapist. She specializes in couples and marriage counseling, individual counseling, group and family counseling. Nancy serves the surrounding areas of Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Fishers, and Noblesville. E-Counseling available for residents of Indiana.

©2014, Nancy Eisenman

©2013, Nancy Eisenman