Something New

Hi, I’m Whitney.  I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my blog today! Recently several people have asked me, “What if you started a blog?” and it’s something that I was a bit hesitant to do.   But after spending some time thinking about it I realized that this might be a good way to share some of the things that I’ve learned and that are on my mind. 

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor, and while counseling is many things, it is NEVER boring.  I’ve worked with everyone from small kids to adults, and I’ve helped people going through all kinds of different issues.  I’ve seen people from a variety of different populations, and I’ve come to be certain about this:  Hurting isn’t easy for anyone, no matter how old you are, the color of your skin, or how much money you have.

How I came to be a counselor is a long story, perhaps for another post, but I know it’s what I was made to do.  I’ve always loved connecting with people, a fact that I’m sure many of my past teachers can attest to (it’s possible that I’ve been called Chatty Cathy more than once in a classroom setting).  I come from a family that loves visiting, so I come by this honestly.  As a child and teenager I loved big groups of people, but as I’ve grown older I’ve come to really love sitting down with one person or with a smaller group and connecting with others on a personal level.  Something in me just is not satisfied with surface level relationships.  It’s important to me to know people, not to just know about people, but to really know people.  To know what’s in their heart, what they love, and the parts of their story that make them who they are.  To me, counseling is just a natural extension of this. 

When I was thinking about a theme for this blog, I quickly thought about the idea of taking life one day at a time.  This is a topic that comes up in many of my counseling sessions.  I often find myself saying things like:

 “I know you don’t know what’s going to happen next and that’s hard, but try to take this a day at a time.”

“This didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t fix itself overnight.  You’re doing your best, just take it a day at a time.”

“I understand this is something you’re looking forward to, but don’t rush it.  Just take it a day at a time and it will get here.”

“This is a hectic season for you.  Try to take things a day at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed.”

 Taking things a day at a time is not always what we want.  That method is slow, and we like things to happen quickly and on our time.  We want the things that we’re excited about to get here soon, and the seasons that we don’t enjoy to be over quickly.  I myself am a champion planner, and I start thinking about things LONG before they happen.  Quite often this can be a good thing, but sometimes I spend so much time thinking about things that I am looking forward to that I forget to enjoy today.  On the other hand, sometimes I spend so much time asking myself “what if” about the future that I find myself worrying about things that might not ever happen. 

The thing is this: We are not made to try to take on life all at once.  It overwhelms us.  God made us to trust Him day by day, because if we don’t we might miss what He is trying to teach us, even during the hard times.  I hope this blog can remind me to slow down and really think about what God is teaching me, one day at a time. And I hope maybe I can share some things that will be helpful or encouraging to someone else. 

I plan to write about a good combination of serious topics and lighthearted topics, because really, the world is serious enough and I just need to laugh sometimes.  Next up I’m going to be writing about setting some good boundaries with yourself and with your time.  I hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

Thanks for Listening,

Whitney