Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Absence makes the heart grow fonder (or just forgetful)

So, I've been away awhile. And I'm thinking I'll probably stay away. The nice thing about the internet is that you get to come here and dump all your problems in cyberspace for whoever wants to sift through and offer you some advice, and when you've unloaded them all the idea is to go back to your real life. And that's what I've been doing.

Not that all my problems are unloaded. But compared to last year, I'm a different person. My depression is periodic, not constant. I have nights when I DO sleep, and days when I CAN breathe, and that's a big step forward. I think it has something to do with Mark being out of my life. He's been in jail since the beginning of the year and isn't likely to be out for a long time. His mom has gradually dropped off the radar, and even though I resent both of them for not being in the children's lives, I am personally so much better off without either of them.

The change that surprises me the most is a recent and sudden realization that I'm occasionally attracted to men I meet. That must have something to do with being removed from Mark as well, and something to do with finally discovering the missing link in my diet. Apparently, it was B vitamins and C. My mom often gives me articles about various health problems, and a couple of months ago it was about chronic fatigue and some doctor who was treating it with a combination of B and C vitamins. She bought a B complex and I started taking it, and drinking Emergen-C packets every other day, and voila! Normality! At long last! Whatever it is has allowed my hormones to reset again in several ways, lowering my stress, increasing my metabolism, and apparently, giving me a sex drive again. For what that's worth.

I'm not sure if it bothers me or not. I have no intention of getting involved in another relationship any time soon, because I have young children, and the anxiety of bringing someone new into their life is not worth any of the possible good outcomes. So on the one hand, I feel I could really do without this. On the other hand, I know it's directly tied to the overall improvement in my health, which I wouldn't want to give up. So, I guess I shouldn't be sorry.

Last week I had a bit of a mental meltdown when I finally had to accept that applying for transfer scholarships was a bad idea. It's recently become clear that I will not be able to go on for a bachelor's degree while living with my parents. Without being free to set my own priorities and schedule, it simply will not be possible to get the grades I want. I refuse to give up two years of my life and take out loans in order to get Cs, when I know under different circumstances I could get As. At the same time, if I go part time and work part time, I am ineligible for scholarships, making that a non-option.

The college hosted a Human Services fair, and I was talking to CYS and learned that they hire people with associate degrees in Social Work as aides with the potential to move up, because experience is still more valuable than a degree in that field. I felt a bit better after that, and in talking to my KEYS supervisor I learned that such is the case with almost any field of social work right now. She also told me that I will be in a better position in the workforce at the end of 2016 if I have an associate degree and 2 years' experience under my belt, than with a bachelor's and no experience.

So I guess it will all be for the better after all. Many social service fields offer tuition reimbursement, so I can go on with my schooling when the kids are older and more self-sufficient. Meanwhile, I will be putting the boys in school aftercare this fall, because I am simply not able to spend enough time at the campus right now to study adequately. I hate the idea of them being away all day, but that's what I get for falling in love with a liar. Things could be much worse, and this certainly isn't the first ideal I've had to lay aside. We'll survive.

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