Much news to tell:Having been officially offered a position for a Clinical Dietitian here in town I find that I won't be moving on just yet. Another step in some unknown direction, but moving and with my career in place.
Unfortunately, it seems that my email address is a bit too difficult to read and therefore my RD number and requested payment fee never were sent to me correctly and therefore without that number and payment made I cannot be licensed in the state. Not being licensed means I'm not legally allowed to work in the state. Registration is national, licenses are state wide.
I don't know quite where I'm going with things but working in a clinical setting is an excellent place to gain a proper foundation for whatever it is I decide I'd like to do - an open Health and Wellness coach RD job sounds right up my alley...you know, except for the fact that it's in Chicago and I could hardly even afford to live in Oklahoma [baby steps shall be employed to wherever I'll eventually be. That and living in Chicago seems a teeny bit daunting...okay, more than a teeny bit].
I have my sights set on culinary school or exercise credentials. I'm leaning toward the latter of the two... eventually [again, baby steps]. Eventually I'd like to be writing for magazines and helping people see the benefit of being healthy and how that sets other things in motion. Think about this: consuming less meat [no, I'm not asking people to turn vegetarian] means less grain or grass [which is better for them anyway] is fed to the animals = more grain for other uses. Eating non-processed foods means reducing waste created from packaging. Supporting farmers markets means helping your community and reducing travel time for food from coast to coast [those silly high gas prices and it just tastes so fresh]. Less bills to the hospital if you're visiting less - prevention is key. More exercise means happier and more sound minds. Annnd I'm done going off on my tangent. Back to the topic on hand.
Sometimes, it seems, we are walking this journey alone. Sure we have our loved ones encouraging us along the way and sure God lives in them to inspire and keep our hope but...Even with all their support we ultimately make our own decisions, the best we can do with every opportunity we can. As these opportunities build into changes and develop into what your life has become you learn that each step along the way impacts us. Like the weak people that we can sometimes be we find that being alone and making these decisions has no direction. But when we pray for and muster up the faith to trust in the plan set before us we know better.
God gave us the ability to choose. Free will gives us power over our lives and responsibility. I'm not really a want-to-have-control type so this free will can be a bit upsetting with big decisions. If we were just given a life outline, a map, an expert, to show us the next step this would be SO much easier. But life doesn't work that way, now does it?
And of course, hindsight shows us there were guidelines all along. Because I didn't get an internship right off the bat I ended up getting my masters in Oklahoma [something I never anticipated doing, a plan I'm sure is still in motion]. Guideposts placed for our benefit that help keep us on the path as long as we are open to the plan that God wants.
But again, these are guideposts, not signs. Too often we ask God for signs as to what our next decision should be. He does give them, I do not doubt it, but He also knows that no matter the sign, if we choose to see it, will be interpreted in our own way to make our own decisions. Maybe that's why I like to ask for really obvious signs when I'm feeling at my weakest. If you just give me a sign that this is right for me I promise I'll... Oh the bargaining, I remember doing that when I was younger. Many times these were silly prayers that if answered would have been leaving me in charge, not trusting that God had the right plan. And I must say praying for toys or a dog is quite self serving no matter the 'logic' I liked to send up. Unanswered prayers should really be another topic however.
When we look back we see guideposts as markers that our path is going in the right direction or that we've gotten back on track if we were not. I'm just trying to do the best I can and lead the life that He wants me to lead with every decision I make. I've got a long way to go. But then again, this is a journey and our vocations are evolving parts that lead us to our final hopeful destination. It's the people that assist us and that we assist on the way that matter. That's probably another post too though.
In other news [cough, always] we returned from Florida and had a lovely time. Ahh, the perks of being unemployed [well, I was at the time at least] with parents that love me enough to tote me along: sun, sand, shells, seafood, sleep. It was awesome. We'll be feeling Spring coming soon. I just know it. And the awakening of the world is another gift from God that all things work as a cycle - Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. Just throwing in that Lenten business for good measure.
sylyb.
