AGH!

I've got little bumps on my teeth as if each tooth has a serrated edge. My dental hygienist said that it is rare to see those bumps on adults' teeth because post adults grind their teeth and as a result the bumps grind down to nothing. My conclusion from that was that I manage my stress well.

However... sometimes, like right now, I feel quite stressed and overwhelmed by my workload. This happened a lot while I was a student at WLU, and it happens occasionally now in the working world. I got a lot thrown on my plate today and I'm feeling a bit snowed under. Incidentally, I've never experienced a November this warm and precipitation-less.

I needed to blog about this to take a minute to get a few deep breaths in and also to still my racing heart. One of the projects I just realized was in my portfolio may be overdue and so I'm freaking out a bit. But - I will figure it out. I will break the project down into manageable tasks and it'll get done.

Agh.

Getting to know all about you

Some people are surprised to find this out, but I am the definition of an introvert. This doesn't mean I'm anti-social or unable to carry a good conversation, it just means I don't really thrive off of social situations. I can hold my own at a dinner party, but after the party's over, I need some serious alone time to recharge my batteries. Another aspect of being an introvert is that I'm very strategic, you might say, about how I share personal information. I don't just blurt out things about myself and often take a lot of time before I feel comfortable enough with someone to tell them things about myself... things aside from the daily minutia, of course.

A new work place is a great example of this. I have now reached my 4-month anniversary of working here and only yesterday did I tell my co-workers that I have a girlfriend. I have been spending 40 hours / week with these people, chatting and working, and yet I didn't share with them until now that I have a girlfriend and, of course, that I'm gay. Some people would've shared this information months ago, but not me... for whatever reason I just had to wait for a specific time.

What I'm learning about the workplace though is that it's best to take your time. Just as there's no rush to have that condo in downtown TO, there's no rush for your co-workers to know every detail about your life... unless you want them to. What I mean is, no one is going to look back and say, "Why did you wait this long to tell us about yourself?" They're going to say, "It's a pleasure to know you now". Don't feel any pressure to put on some kind of persona just for the sake of it. Just be yourself and let it all happen. When you feel comfortable, it just feels so good to get to know people.

Convocation

I never went to my high school graduation. I probably would've, but I had already started working at a camp for the summer, so I just couldn't. The truth is that I don't normally care about occasions like that, but when my university convocation was about to occur, I figured it was time that I let myself enjoy some pomp & circumstance... plus, I thought my parents might enjoy seeing the end result of my 5+ years at uni.

Here's what I was shocked by: how proud I felt. I was practically beaming the entire time - especially seeing my parents and my best friends in the crowd.

You sometimes feel like university is just going through the motions until you're done... but it wasn't an easy ride, was it? It was hard work, stress, anxiety, and sometimes working your body and brain past their limits. Alternatively it was fun, and my mind was expanded to embrace new ideas, concepts, and issues, and my whole self was challenged to learn and grow and change...

University was an experience and I'm so glad I got to celebrate the official end of one phase of my life now that I'm in the next one. I deserved a little pomp & circumstance, right?