Being a therapist is interesting work. In fact, it might be a job like no other. Day in and day out, I bear witness to people’s emotional pain. There aren’t many other places in life that people attend expecting to focus on or release the pain they’ve been carrying around, like they do in therapy. It’s a unique position to be in. It can be heavy, soul-wearying work. It can also be holy fulfilling and exhilarating. As a colleague once said to me, “Being a therapist is the best job and the worst job.” The highs are high, and the lows are low. Yet, I can’t imagine loving any other work in the same way. Why?
Because my job lets me see people--really, truly see who they are.
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No, I’m not talking about a physical bully. Not the in-your-face, “I’m gonna take your lunch money” kind of bully. I’m talking about the Bully we fight in our heads. The one that tells you “You’re stupid!” “You’re a failure!” “Who are you to (x, y or z)?” “You’re not pretty enough, rich enough, smart enough, kind enough, motivated enough, healthy enough, loved enough…” You know . . . that one? This Bully is dangerous. She’s frightening, not because of her physicality or threats to harm you, but because of how damn sneaky she is.
This Bully is a wolf-in-sheep’s clothing.
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I’m not sure if anything excites and calms me as much as the ocean. The first sight of it from a car window never fails to stir my soul. It suddenly transports me back to childhood memories and the thrill of anticipation—all the fun, adventure and exploration waiting to be had. Plus, being from the east coast, the beauty of the Pacific ignites a new sort of eagerness for me, one filled with traveling to new places and experiencing something different.
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