Fait Accompli

I am this evening no longer a graduate student.

After turning in my internship paperwork last week, turning in my death & dying research paper yesterday and severing two final client relationships at the free clinic where I have been interning until today, there is not a single thing left that I must do for school but attend my graduation.

That will be 10 a.m. on June 1.

Until then, I am in this curious limbo where I'm working part-time and not sure if or when my hours will increase -- but if they do, it likely won't be until June. In my mind, that leaves me with the merry month of May to have some sweet time left for myself, a break between the pace of school and the start of what I hope will be full-time (or pretty close to it) work this summer.

Thus, I will be endeavoring to spend this time wisely and restfully, not to mention creatively and decadently.

In the meantime, I find myself wishing I had someone to celebrate this occasion with, someone who really understood what all this crazy shit was about for me. There are only a small handful of people who come to mind:

Top of the list being XGF who witnessed this idea I had several years ago about seriously, SERIOUSLY changing my life turn into something that was really going to do just that. As she's neck deep in graduate school in New Jersey these days, I have a feeling she can appreciate the idea of being done with it -- although it will be many years until she is done herself.

And I think about S2, who has been my diligent and fierce companion in school, and a massive friend outside of it. There is no single other student who has been such a "teacher" in my life. Lots of funky psychological stuff got worked out through our friendship, and yet we are still friends. Dear ones at that. Quite a lesson unto its own.

I also think about The Good Witch, who has been a friend and mentor to me for many years now and always tries to give me her old counseling journals and other books.

And, last but not least, I wish like hell that I could share this with my Tia L, who was always so encouraging of me and who, in telling me her about her work in a Third World insane asylum during the Peace Corps, taught me a thing or two about restoring dignity and humanity to people who are mentally ill. One of our last conversations, she told me, "You're going to help a lot of people," and she sounded so convinced that I believed she might be right. (Time will tell, Tia L!)

Anyway... So that's that. Three years have gone in a flash. And my life is seriously, SERIOUSLY different. It's a good life, and I feel lucky to have it right now.

Apparently, celebration with others must wait a month for graduation, so in the meantime ... I toast myself.

Way to go, UCM. Way to mutha-fuckin' GO!