99福利视频
It鈥檚 been approximately 60 days since I packed up Lotus, my 2003 Honda Pilot, with all of my belongings that I could fit into it so I could relocate to Santa Fe to pursue my MA degree in Art Therapy & Counseling at SWC! Yes, I left the 鈥淐harm City鈥 (Baltimore, MD), leaving my beloved, my friends, my clients and my spiritual community behind to create a new life in 鈥淭he Land of Enchantment!鈥 Many have asked 鈥淲HY?鈥 On an intellectual level my 鈥渨hy鈥 is because there are no schools, as in ZERO, on the East Coast that offer a MA degree in Art Therapy & Counseling. Attending a program like this will allow me to sit for both the art therapy and the counseling licensing exams.
However, on a spiritual level my 鈥淲HY鈥 is because I need a change. I need to experience living out of my comfort zone; I need to experience 鈥渁dulting鈥 on my own in a way I have never experienced before. I want to learn another culture, another way of living and operating in the world. I admit I can be very closed minded and I hope that experiencing life in a new way will support me in opening my mind and expanding my vision! And quite frankly, my spirit called me here! Not to sound 鈥渃lich茅鈥欌 or 鈥渨hoo whoo鈥 but in all seriousness my spirit led me here (there is more to that, but that will have to be another blog post).
Now that I am here, the beginning of my journey has been interesting! I find it fascinating that I relocated from a city where I saw my reflection at every turn (Baltimore has a large African American population) to a city where seeing my reflection is rare, especially at a time when our country is so divided. I don鈥檛 think this is a coincidence. I definitely feel that I am here at this time for a reason. I am not sure what 鈥渢he reason鈥 is, however, I have some glimpses as to what it could be.
My name is Maqueita (pronounced MA-QWEE-TA), and all of my life I鈥檝e been called everything but Maqueita such as: Marquita, Marguerita, Makita and every other possible combination you can think of. In my younger years it would make me angry when people would pronounce my name incorrectly, especially after I had corrected them several times. In college I began going by Maq (pronounced Mack) as a way to reinvent myself and because I was tired of correcting people. To date, the only people who call me Maqueita are my family, my childhood friends and my partner. As I began meeting people within the SWC community I introduced myself as Maqueita. The reaction I received was surprising, many gasped and clutched their hands to their hearts and would say 鈥渢hat is beautiful, what does it mean?鈥 My name means 鈥淒ivine Gift.鈥
I was raised, as most African Americans, to believe that I have to do twice as much work to receive half of what others who do not look like me receive. I have to show up better, work harder, stretch more and be more in order to be seen as somewhat competent. So, when I walked into my first class and realized there was no reflection of me in the classroom I could hear that voice in my head say 鈥淚 have to prove myself, I have to be better.鈥 Three hours later, I walked into my second class and again, no reflection. What I found to be interesting is that in both classes my professors invited the extroverts to challenge themselves to share less so that the introverts have any opportunity to speak up. I have always considered myself an extrovert, with introverted tendencies, but when it comes to doing work like this, my passion, I can talk for hours. In my profession as a Spiritual Life Coach I am compensated to talk, talking is 鈥渕y high鈥 so why wouldn鈥檛 I talk and talk in abundance? This request was in direct conflict with this urge to 鈥減rove myself, to be better.鈥
I learned through my training as a spiritual life coach and through my reading of The Alchemist, 鈥渢o pay attention to the omens!鈥 This message of pulling back as an extrovert was an omen, and I was curious as to what it was showing up to reveal to me. That鈥檚 when I remembered the meaning of my name 鈥淒ivine Gift鈥 and how I had spoken it out loud more times than I can remember within the last sixty days. Perhaps, that鈥檚 part of my lesson here in Santa Fe; to remember and to know that I am a DIVINE GIFT! That WHO I have been created TO BE is a Divine Gift. I don鈥檛 have to do anything or prove anything鈥 that my only job is TO BE me. As I write this, I am aware that my presence is needed within the SWC community because my classmates are going to serve people who look like me鈥 and maybe my presence will support them in addressing the needs of their clients; my presence is needed in this field because the truth is that black and brown people seek mental health services at disproportionately lower rates than white people; my presence is needed in art therapy because most African American people have never heard of art therapy. My presence is enough, who I am is enough鈥 I AM A DIVINE GIFT鈥 I AM MAQUEITA!
Maqueita, a certified spiritual life coach, wrote this during her first-year, first quarter as a graduate student in the art therapy department. She also served as a graduate assistant. You can reach her at maqueitaeleazer@swc.edu.
*Update 2019, since writing this, several students of color have attended 99福利视频.听
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