Midterms already?

It is hard to believe I am in the fifth week of my second quarter. This term by far has been easier and less demanding as the last term; however, it still means there is lots of midterm work to do. I am in the midst of a 15 page paper assessing the life of an American Indian woman named Mary Crow Dog. I read her memoir in about a day, and absolutely loved it. She grew up on a reservation in the 60's during the time when Indian children were sent to Christian boarding schools. She fought, though, to maintain her identity as a Sioux and fought hard, joining the American Indian Movement, marrying a medicine man, and participating in all the spiritual rituals. It is a really great book and I hope my paper does it justice. As far as my other classes go, it seems as though the homework is spread out over the next few weeks, which is nice that I don't have to try to balance homework for four classes.

Of course, I choose to also start reading The Hunger Games for fun, and am engrossed in that story. I am trying to spread out the reading so it becomes more "self care" than eating it up in one night. I did decide the other day to commit to myself one "self care" act a day. It may mean picking up a treat coffee drink at Starbucks, taking a walk on a gorgeous day, or just knowing how to say "no" so I don't over obligate myself. Social work is one of the few career fields where they encourage us to take care of ourselves. It is easy to let the weight of the world sit on a social worker's shoulders because there is so much injustice out there. With a little self care, it is easier to take a step back and see the good as well as as the ugly.