“Welcome to Holy Hogwarts,” my fellow first-year Ariel said to me with a
smile, as I walked through the Union campus entrance into the school’s
small courtyard for my first day of orientation. I was grateful for his
warmth and levity, a brief reprieve from my nerves about what to expect
from my classes and fellow students.

After those three days of orientation I felt like I was on a rickety,
upward-climbing rollercoaster, ticking up toward a crescendo before the
rush of adrenaline and momentum to follow from the big drop. Am I making a
huge mistake? I wondered. Will I fit in here? What if I can’t juggle
school, work, speaking travel, and the new commute? Did I really think this
through enough?

But alas, I’m just over a month in, and absolutely loving the program. I’m
working on a two-year Masters degree with a focus (for now) in
Interreligious Engagement. I love the material, and feel so lucky that I
get to study, talk, and read about some of life’s deepest questions all
week long! Getting used to the firehose of reading, classes and writing
assignments was a shock—but not in a bad way. More like taking a cold-water
plunge: surprising and breath-taking, but incredibly refreshing and the
perfect shake-up for entering my seventh year of self-employment (and
living in New York). I am still struggling a bit with when to schedule
meetings, podcast interviews, and outings with friends, but I know I’m
still early in the adjustment process.

Listen in to this weeks (semi-rambling, sorry!) episode on impressions from
my first month at school—what I’m learning, how I’m adjusting, and where
“inner game” resources like self-compassion come into play.