Annie Gets Therapy

I feel like I have been sprinting the last two weeks. Between the Easter cantata, finishing one class, and all the pre-work I needed to have done for my intensive class, I was truly stretched to the max. Sunday night before my class, I was up till midnight trying to finish the workbook that I was told I would fail if I didn't have completed by Monday morning. It got done, barely. What a week in Lynchburg! Liberty has changed SO much in the last ten years. I was able to stay with my old roommate, Heather (Sagan) Zealand for the first three nights. We hadn't seen each other for almost two years, so we were up late every night catching up. The last two nights were spent with my first college roommate, Tracy (Hoare) Wu. Class was so much fun. Every morning we had lectures, and every afternoon we had practice time in small groups using our techniques. One afternoon, I played the client and the whole class practiced their counseling skills on me. I decided to use a real-life scenario instead of making one up. You see, I have had a chronic problem since childhood. It actually became manifest as I grew older and gained more responsibility and independence, but has plagued me my whole life....am I building enough suspense....I have a problem with chronic tardiness. In high school, I would sleep in to the last possible minute, take a 3 minute shower, chug down a bowl of cereal, and sprint out the door with wet hair (in Wisconsin winters) across the street to the school building. It was always a race to see if I could beat the first period bell. There actually was a computer class on the north side of the school that would watch this whole ordeal in the mornings. I never could change this pattern. I did it nearly every morning for four years. Even when I started college, every morning, wet-haired Annie would be sprinting from her dorm on the hill to the cafeteria to smuggle a bagel and continue the race to her first class. The pattern continued after graduation as I took a position as an ESL teacher...poor Tracee Pelt. We only had one car, so every morning Tracee had the privilege of picking me up so we could commute to the same school. She quickly learned of my chronic tardiness problem. Every morning, she would call me to announce that she was leaving her house to pick me up (a 5-7 minute trip). Many mornings this was my wake-up call and I would test my limits to see how quickly I could get ready. Every morning Tracee would either be greeted by wet-hair Annie or greasy-haired Annie...again, let me say...poor Tracee. Fast forward to March 2008. I felt like I was in a time warp as I ran around campus trying to get to my class on time. After doing this two mornings in a row, I told my class about my problem and they all practiced their counseling techniques on me. It was fun to hear everyone's different perspectives and I gained a lot of insight as to the roots of the problem. Later that night as I told Colby about my day, he disagreed with some of the rather behavioristic advice that my professor gave me and said the root of my problem was self-centeredness. That's why I love my husband. Anyway, his advice was probably right and after reflecting on his thoughts, I repented and was FIVE MINUTES EARLY to every class the rest of the week. The class was cheering me on all week as I continued to make progress. I felt like I made a breakthrough in this area; it was really encouraging. I brought up other issues I needed help thinking through, and listened to others who were struggling with their own issues. At the end of the class, I felt like I had gone away to a rehabilitation center for therapy all week. I know God is using this counseling program to help me personally, and I pray it can someday help others as well.