I’m already exhausted and residency week for semester three of my master’s program hasn’t even started yet.
I’m excited to see my classmates again. To talk through our triumphs and the amazing things all this hard work has led to. And if I’m honest I’m scared too.
I just wrote a draft paper on my strengths and weaknesses and realized fear is still my biggest challenge. Not ability. Not effort. Fear of stepping fully into what I have earned.
Even so I keep showing up.
I read three books to prepare. One I subjected my family to on our drive to Texas in full audiobook mode. One I’ve been reading at night when my brain is already tired. One I’ve been listening to in pieces while doing chores just trying to be ready.
This season is demanding. It stretches you before it rewards you.
Tired and excited can exist at the same time.
Fear and growth can sit at the same table.
Preparation does not always feel confident.
And I am going anyway.