To be fair, I have been far from inactive... I've kept up with my cadremate's comments and discussions, tried to be an asset to my new learning circle, and made significant progress on my action research. I'm not completely caught up with assigned reading, but nearly enough. My dropping out of speaking out in most online conversation has also coincided with the resumption of my primary job as a behavioral therapist, which has itself been marked by concerted effort to improve my day-to-day practices and engagement. There are times when I feel like I understand the struggle of the current presidential administration in attacking so many major socio-political issues simultaneously... even while making progress on many fronts, it's hard to please everyone (or even oneself, in my case).

I've been thinking quite a bit about the issue of identities, probably associated with shifts taking place in my own set as a result of changes to many of my behaviors and attitudes. One unexpected difficulty I've found is that I apparently have a hard time switching gears or changing hats as I transition between parts of my day... Lately, I find myself so consumed with my "behavioral therapist" identity that by the end of the school day, I struggle to find the energy to fit myself into what I would call my "home" identity, let alone my "Masters student" identity. "Hobbyist photographer" has almost completely disappeared, and "helpful friend" is struggling to stay relevant.

If I do things correctly, I think I should find myself eventually merging these often disparate identities into something more viable and less stressful... simply me, without gears or hats to change. This is already largely happening with my action research and primary job, which should bring my school work along eventually. I don't really know that this goal is even possible, or useful for that matter. I do know that any stress I can shed from my current system will be a good thing for my health and functioning.