Day 2
I have often thought of what your profession says about you. It is so important in our culture...what is one of the first questions you ask someone when you first meet him? One will almost always be, "what do you do?".
So, this may leave you wondering, if you don't already know, what do I do? I am a social worker. But what does this mean about who I am? Sure, it means I am caring. That I am concerned with issues like social justice, equal rights, dignity and worth of all people. These are all true. But there is more. In describing my "about me", I can say I am a social worker, but that does not even come close to capturing why I am a social worker. Aside from the above, there are two main reasons.
First, I am inspired everyday by the amazing young people I work with. There is magic in watching a young person who is carrying the weight of the world on his/her shoulders because of many life circumstances, who can push through to do something as benign as getting to class, writing a paper or going to a job interview. Talk about strength. It is a constant reminder that life is worth fighting for. This happens for me everyday.
Second, I am a relater. I work at a university, and this week was spring break. This meant a VERY quiet campus. While this was a chance to catch up on some tasks, it was very quiet. I am looking forward to the students coming back to campus, but the quiet was a gift in a way. It gave me the opportunity to examine why I love having people around, rather than quiet. I now know (even more) why I am social worker: for connection, relatedness.
While many people define themselves by what they do, I would rather think that who I am defines what I do.
About me:
I am a rightionist who is striving to wing it every once in a while.
I am inspired by others; I am on this earth to relate to others. I am a social worker.
J
Coolio!
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