I Am A Social Worker

Why am I a social worker? I ask myself that a lot sometimes... It's stressful, it's heartbreaking.. It often brings up situations from my own life that are not very pleasant.. I fought myself for years about going to graduate school.. With the hopes that I could somehow how beat the standards of not being an MSW... But I've finally given in.. That in itself is terrifying.. I'm in tons of student loan debt, TONS! And I am not sure what the future will hold after graduation... Or how in the world I am going to juggle my life and school, but I'm taking the plunge.. I'm taking the plunge for all of those good moments.. For the conversations with clients in which they were appreciative of the information I provided, for the moments in which I was able to explain the information someone was looking for in a way no one had before... For conversations with co-workers that allowed them to have a new perspective on their own life and what they were doing... I am doing this because I've been in therapy for YEARS! I've had some amazing therapists, and some really terrible ones... And I'm going to be one of the good ones! Ive been a child caregiver, I've been on the other side trying to fight for my family... I've lost a parent, after seeing them struggle with their loss of independence... I've been sexually assaulted, I've been overweight, I've been bullied for both.. I've tried to take my own life... And I know how the desperation, and solitude of how that feels.. I've been bullied for that too... I've been bullied for speaking up, and I've made myself small for others.. I've lost myself to it all at times, and attempted to cope and take control in self destructive ways... Sometimes it's a struggle to be okay, and many things can trigger all the sad feelings about any one particular situation.. But I still show up... I show up for work, I will show up for class, and an internship... I show up to life every single day.. And I fight! Life is really ugly sometimes.. But if I can tell my story, and one less person feels alone, my struggles have not been in vain... I've learned so much, and processed it a lot.. I've read so many books, and listened to podcasts.. And I've become a different person. But through it all I've survived. I have a good job, an amazing husband, a home in a good neighborhood, and I'm alive... We all have different roles in this world and I know this is mine.. I'm a social worker...