The Road to Marriage and Family Therapy

   A few days ago, I got an email from the University of San Diego saying that I had been selected to be interviewed for their graduate school. While Julie laughed that getting this big of news through an email is kind of like getting asked out on a date through text, I was excited. It made me reflect a little on the process of how I decided that I would try to become a Marriage and Family Therapist.
    In a way, it started when I was a kid. I used to think I wanted to be a football player in the NFL (and a baseball player in the MLB and a Ninja Turtle, but I digress) when I was a young lad. Then, one time while my friends and I were playing outside, I blitzed my best friend (a half Native American, half African American from a low-income single parent led home) from the blind side and absolutely obliterated him. He wound up with a splitting headache and we had to stop playing. I felt so bad that I immediately ran into my house and got him Aspirin and Dr. Pepper and begged for his forgiveness. It was then that I knew I didn't have what it takes to be a good football player; plus I ended up slow, short and fat. 
   The fact that I felt bad for my best friend not only because of his splitting headache but because of his lack of support at home should have registered to me that helping people overcome difficult circumstances was what I wanted to do. But, it didn't. On my mission, the most joy I got was from helping families embrace a new way of life and embrace each other more, but it still didn't dawn on me. I came home and thought that the English major was a good fit for me. But, as one of my teachers said (as a compliment), "You're not like other English majors. You don't philosophize and think as deeply." Like I said, it was meant to be a compliment and I took it as such, but also realized, I was definitely not intellectual enough to be an English major (the fact that I've been thoroughly bored by every Jane Austen, Henry James and William Faulkner book was enough reason for me to switch). Finally, my baby cakes helped me to figure out what I'm really interested in: helping people and improving their lives. Hopefully soon, I will be able to help improve lives by changing patterns in their family and couple relationships. In other words, I'll soon be working with issues such as this:

Biz Markie - Just A Friend
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