Watershed

Watershed: an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.


Yes, that describes succinctly where we are right now.  There are parts of the before that will always be with us (of course).  There are parts of what is to come that will be familiar (of course). But, most of the right now is filled with the feeling of a shift.  One phase of life complete.  Another phase of life emerging.  It's a good place to be: there's excitement, relief, anticipation, nervousness, pride, joy.  


Mark has officially graduated (with honors, I might add)!  At the ceremony, the faculty member who gave the introduction said that for the DC program alone, just the in-class time consisted of well over 4200 hours.  That doesn't include the Master's in Sports Health Science that Mark added, the certification for the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association, or the many many hours studying outside the classroom.  I was juggling three kids who needed to stay relatively quiet for about an hour during the ceremony, so I didn't catch much of what was said.  But that number caught my attention.  


We are very proud of Mark, which may be cliche to say, but it's the simple truth.  He has worked so hard, and yes, we all have.  He has been through many challenging trials, including balancing family life with student life, and dealing with the guilt that it was quite unbalanced most of the time.  We all sacrificed, and we all deserve recognition (as many have already pointed out to me) but this is his day, and I'm proud of him for that.  He has worked hard, kept his head up when it was looking grim, and plowed ahead.  He did it all with his usual grace and fortitude.  He takes life on with joy, and this was evident through this trying phase of life as well.


And yes, to those of you who are wondering, it was worth it.  Already.  Being worth it really has nothing to do with how much money he will make.  It is a wonderful feeling to see Mark, who spent many years working a vast array of jobs and being mildly happy with it, find a profession that really fits with who he is.  He is lit up by it.  Letting the body do it's job and heal without drugs has been a conviction of his for longer than he knew about chiropractic.  Promoting the wellness lifestyle has as well.  Inspiring people to be the best they can physically and mentally is something that comes naturally to him, because he is easily inspired by others in this way.  These are all ways that the "fit" is a good one.


So now, we have a chiropractor in the family, who is eager to start helping people feel better, and improve their life.  He is optimistic and confident and yes, a tad bit nervous.  These next couple of months, (no years!) will be trying as well, as he gets his own practice up and running.  We're ready for it, though.  The time is now.


Now. is. the. time.