November is always a special time for me, this year especially so, as I geared up for my Graduation as well as my birthday. For me the graduation ceremony was like an early birthday present and a great signpost of just how far I've come in the past few years. It was certainly a milestone moment and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Then I celebrated my birthday a week later, with a lovely trip to a Christmas market where I had warm spiced toffee cider, which was delicious. That's the best thing about being born in November - all the pre-Christmas events are happening and the world is sparkling bright with joy, so there is always lots to do on your birthday week.
The market was lovely and we had roasted chestnuts as we walked around, looking at all the pretty Christmas lights.
The next day I went to see Last Christmas at the cinema. It's a fantastic film and it really made me cry. It's very moving and heart warming, starting out as a standard festive romance and then becoming something much deeper and more meaningful. I loved it and it was a great start to my birthday.
I was lucky enough to receive lots of pretty gifts and cards. Most of my gifts were pink, which is my favourite colour. I got new pink boots, pink faux fur winter warmers to snuggle into on cold trips to university, Kylie's limited edition jade-green vinyl Step Back in Time album, a Harry Potter mug, a Disney Little Mermaid hairbrush to brush out my tresses like a merrow-maid, lovely bath products to pamper with and an Ariana Grande nightshirt. I also got some home-wear gifts too, including a Yankee candle Advent Calendar and a beautiful set of kitchen goodies - a new kettle, toaster and microwave all in pale pink sparkly glitter!! I've never seen anything quite like them and they are so gorgeous. They're very me and they make my kitchen glimmer. So I've been very spoilt.
I had some birthday money to spend too, so I treated myself to some DVDs, the new Robert the Bruce which I really enjoyed and also series four of Outlander. I haven't started watching this yet, but I'm really looking forward to being in the company of Jamie Fraser once more!
The problem is I don't have as much time for Outlander as I used to because I am deep into the work for my Masters degree. So far I am really enjoying it. I can hardly believe that my first semester is almost over! Just a couple of lectures and a Christmas social to go to and then we are on the Christmas break.
Not that we won't be working over Christmas because we will. This semester we have three assignments to complete. I've already done one, I'm doing the reading for the second and I am in the process of planning out the essay for the third, which I shall write up next month. I'm hoping to get as much done as possible before the end of term, because I am still working a few hours a week in practice and I'm also a columnist. Lots of balls to juggle, but I am enjoying it.
I'm loving writing my Psychotherapy column and I've been writing it now for eighteen months, so it has developed it's own tone and shape. I enjoy putting my own unique slant onto the topic and making it my own, because this is what keeps my work being published. I write in such a way that others may try to copy it, but my work is always original in style, so it sets its own trends. I don't follow trends - I set them. I guess this is the key to being successful and productive in publishing.
University life is fun. I am enjoying all the psychological and philosophical aspects of the course. The discursive practice work is interesting and it raises important questions regarding social identity - are we who we decide to be, or who we are told to be by society? How do we recognize when society is telling us to behave in a certain way, so that we can make an informed choice, rather than being subject to indoctrination? How does the Influencer trend of social media fit into all this? This kind of lecture and discussion work is invaluable for my practice, both as a counsellor and as a psychotherapy columnist.
My next set essay is centered around the topic of PTSD so I think I will enjoy writing it over the Christmas period. I like to write 'straight from the horses mouth' so to speak and this is a subject close to my heart that I have written about in the past, so it will be interesting to take this topic up to the next level. It's certainly a multi-layered topic to study from an academic point of view, and again, such studying will inform my practice as a psychotherapy columnist. That was after all the point of going back to university to do a Masters degree - so that I can bring that knowledge back to my practice.
One of the things I most love about university is the seminars and Societies that are available to students, regardless of what subject they are doing for their course. I have attended some fabulous seminars, as well as taking part in the Poetry Society events each week. This means that I can indulge in my love of poetry, journalism and English literature to my heart's content, even though that isn't the main core of my own course curriculum. It is where my heart lies and it does help with the written aspects of any course, because voracious readers make better essayists. There is a lot of required reading to do for a Masters degree, so it's a good thing I'm a natural bookworm!
The seminars and Poetry Society events offer a bit of welcome relief from studying core texts. They are great social events, giving the opportunity to meet people with similar interests. It's lovely to be able to discuss poetry in all its forms, not just sticking to the well-worn tropes of the Great Poets, but looking at the genre as a form of political debate, social conscience and global change. So I am enjoying attending the poetry and seminar evenings.
The tutors are all much nicer too, which is a relief. After the psychopath that was teaching us on my last course, I knew I couldn't put up with someone like that again for another two years, as he made the course one long brow-beating session, holding us all under his duress for two years. He was a nightmare to be around. Fortunately, the tutors that I have met so far on this course have all been lovely, supportive and encouraging.
All in all, it has been a rather wonderful autumn this year, with my time in Loch Lomond, then starting a university Masters course, the Little Mix concert, then Graduating from my old counselling course, followed by a lovely birthday! So much to be grateful for. Gratitude keeps the magic flowing and the warm glow of Yuletide is just around the corner. Life is good to those who are grateful for it, so keep saying thank you for all that you have!
BB Marie x
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