Focusing

Andy and I have been talking for a while about getting a dog to add to our family. We've gone back and forth on the pros and cons. Andy had dogs as a child and loved them. I never had a dog, but always wanted one. We went to the Waterville Area Humane Society and found a 3 year old beagle named Gus who beckoned us over to his cage with his big brown eyes and even-temper. So, perhaps "Gus whose name will be changed when he lives with us" will move into the Carlton house this week?

All this talk of dogs, the change that is in the air during spring time and the growing up of my babies has got me thinking about my life and what I value. I've had a moment of clarity upon realizing "I could not ask for more." It seems my mind is always on fast forward....to the next house, next city, next degree, next job, etc. It's kind of an exhausting way to live and really only serves to undermine the appreciation for what I already have.

I was on the fast track to finish my clinical counseling license which would enable me to do more individual therapy than can be provided in the school setting. Providing therapy is my favorite part the job that I have right now and I thought (think) it would be great to have a job where that is what I do consistently. But the sacrifices I have to make in order to achieve that license include a 900 hour internship, examinations, another job and an eventual switch away from school counseling into the clinical field.

I just don't know that I want to do all of that for a relatively small change in title and practice. I love my job and I love the school I am at...doing the clinical license means investing in my future should I ever decide to switch career paths. But do I invest time in the present for something I am not sure that I want in the future?