Every once in a while, a week comes along, and is just what you need. Last week was that week for me.

I had been planning to travel to Washington D.C. to attend and present my research at a national conference. I was feeling ambivalent; on the one hand, I was going to get to see two of my cousins and their families, as well as a dear friend on the way home, all of whom I love and enjoy. And on the other hand, I was feeling overwhelmed with being back in school, was not feeling confident about speaking about my research after such a long break from the academic world, and I was in a lot of pain. My skin was blistering and raw, and it was hard to concentrate. So, I took it in chunks. First, I told myself I would prepare, but could decide not to go at the last minute if I didn’t feel up to it. Then, I decided I would go, but didn’t have to present if I didn’t feel up to it. Then, I decided I would present, but that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I just bombed the whole presentation. I even warned my advisor about this possibility, as unapologetically as possible.

Turns out, going, and pushing myself (gently) to present, and spending time with my lovely family and friends, was just the thing I needed to rejuvenate myself. My research was well-recieved, and that gave me a bit of a confidence boost to get my act in gear to finish my dissertation. But more than that was the reminder of how much I love the people in my life. The cousins who I saw are sisters, and couldn’t be much more different. What they seem to have in common, though, is this determination to prioritize their families and encourage their kids’ individualities. And it’s working. I saw four very different children, each of who showed love and appreciation for the others, and each of who was unapologetically him or herself. And all of the the parents involved showed love, engagement, concern, and delight in their kids. You can’t ask for much more. Not that I expected to arrive and see a big mess, but I see so much isolation and pain through my studies that it’s always a warm feeling to be around such responsive and supportive families. And of course, they also made me feel loved. The cousin who I stayed with, her husband, and I stayed up late each night, catching up, connecting, and just enjoying each other. Who wouldn’t like that?

Seeing my friend was another love-fest. We are in the same cohort at school, only she is the super driven type who crammed all of her requirements and clinical hours into four years (don’t ask me how, I don’t understand how it’s physically possible), so is on internship in Chicago this year. We talked about our lives, reminisced about school, and waxed nostalgic about how much we love and miss each other. It was pretty sweet.

Finally, coming home to my own sweet family was the capper of the week. Hearing about how their week had gone, catching up on what I had missed, and staying in my pajamas for an entire lazy day after returning made me ready to tackle the rest of the semester in a way that I hope will put me into good shape to finish the program.

And no, it wasn’t all as idyllic as I’ve portrayed. My skin continued to blister and open, making sleep difficult. One of my flights was delayed, and I didn’t have enough time to see many sights in D.C. But presenting with blistering skin ultimately made me feel a little badass, in a way that’s not typical for me. The delayed flight didn’t make me miss much, and not having enough time to see the sights only means I get to go back and see my sweet cousins again.

All in all, a pretty great week.