First Class… in the bag

The past five weeks feel like a Japanese bullet train just entered my life. I’ve never traveled so fast, read so much, or been expected to write so much in this short time frame. My notions of weekly blogging were overtaken with research and medical concerns that threatened to derail my progress before it really began. But the last day is here, and all work is submitted.

What happened in the last month to make this happen? Following my professor’s advice, I enlisted a cheerleading squad. Meet the team:

* My oldest son became my head cheerleader. His motivation and passion for my success fuel me to keep doing my best even when I want to give up.

* My mom is my editorial coach and sound board. With her years of writing and editing experience, she has helped me get through years of graduate school looking like a polished writer. She is also one of my best sounding boards. She has the gift of asking questions that I haven’t thought of and leads me to authenticate why I am doing what I do.

* My middle child is my emotional coach. As a person on the Autism spectrum, they have a unique view of balance and relationship that helps me keep my emotions in check and focus on what is truly important: balance in my career, my family, and my dreams.

* My youngest son wraps up the family squad as my motivational coach. He inspires me each day with his intentionality of meditation, journaling, and self-care. He reminds me to pause and take a breath when I get overwhelmed with the work, focusing reminding me to ask myself what is blocking me from moving forward and why I feel stuck.

Each one in my squad was chosen for their expertise in their field, and I am so blessed to be surrounded with them and their love for me as I travel this road less taken, to borrow from Robert Frost.

With the help of my team, I have accomplished something that I have never done before. This procrastination-driven, self-proclaimed worrier submitted all of her assignments before the final deadline. Most assignments have me actively working until 11:57 for an 11:59 deadline, but it is dinner time, and all of my work is submitted. What a feeling of relief and peace.

Now… to take a few days break before I jump into learning how to research. I may need a seatbelt for this one.