Eau Clarity

Over the past few days I visited my old college town, Eau Claire. There are probably 100 different ways that I could go with this, but overall, it was exceptional.


In life there are people and places that make us who we are, guiding us both intentionally and unintentionally into our futures. I've erased around 20 sentences by this point, so I'm just going to spit this out, and deal with the rest later.

There were many people who held a hand into my love for a) health on both the private and public level b)non-profits and c)the mind. I was given a 1,2 sucker punch of revitalizing clarity over the last few days by two incredibly important people.

1- My boss, Brent Hafele, Executive Director Chippewa Valley Free Clinic. He's still 'my boss', and the Clinic is still 'mine'. The pride I have both in organization and it's employees is absolutely overwhelming. Coming back, so much was the same, yet so much had changed. I had goose bumps going from room to room, looking at all of the need they were addressing. Recently receiving a grant for an ophthalmology clinic, they now have both the volunteer medical personnel and the equipment to help screen patients and give eye exams. An immunization clinic is also now being funded by the local county health department to start immunizing members of the community unable to meet these medical needs on their own. They are currently seeing more patients, and using less money while still providing consistent care. Working with the troubled economy, limited donor funds, and the changing demands of the community has brought such admiration to the organization. I am proud to have worked there, and to help bring cVFC to the functioning Clinic they are now.

Brent is such an inspiration not only as a boss but as a person. Did I ever tell you that he would purposely give me projects that he knew I couldn't complete, or would set up situations with an absurd percentage of failure to success? And you know why? Because he wanted me to know it's okay to 'fail'. It is okay to work at something more than once. It was important to see things from multiple perspectives. It was okay to LOSE. To miserably, horribly, and blatantly blow at something. And then, you do your best to make it right. Fix, learn, grow. Every time I see him it reiterates to me the importance of following your dreams, chasing the things you believe in and always, ALWAYS, *trying and failing* instead of not trying at all.


2- My second encounter was with my other mentor, my career-travel-cultural-personal inspiration.. a woman who probably has no idea how much she has helped me. That woman was favorite professor in Eau Claire, Ann Collier. In college when I was just starting to pick an area of interest, I had Ann for abnormal psychology. I loved that class SO much, I probably didn't need to take a single note. Near osmosis,I could have retained every word she said. The knowledge just radiated off her. She presented it so fascinatingly I hung on to every word with dear life. I'd fall asleep thinking about DSM characteristics, stories, statics, and research.

Ann also had other interests. She has traveled to more places than there are people in Eau Claire, and had unique stories and research from every one. The more she told me about the field research and work she was doing, the more doors she opened within me. Different cultural groups, health concerns, psychological disorders..

This is E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. what I want to do with my life.

So many different avenues and perspectives, someone hit me with the 'vocation dumptruck.' Yes. Yes. YES!!!!!!!

And so it was. More or less. The long and the short, health meets psychology.

We had a dinner party at the Millers (family and friend EC post to come!) Anne was able to stop by. In the small amount of time I had with her, she brought me an enormous amount of priceless clarity to the few years to come. To hear someone truly understand,agree, and encourage the degree I was about to get from both a realistic and a futuristic stand point reunited my resolute stance on what I love and want to spend my life doing.

Relief rushed over me. To truly know with everything inside you that you've found something you want to spend your precious and SHORT life pursuing?!.. well, there is nothing like it.


And all I feel right now is clarity. Sweet, sweet clarity.