The Update: It’s been almost a week since my last blog entry, in which I mentioned receiving some news that had been taking up a bit of mental real estate. As of today, I’m feeling less anxious about what now feels like a much less serious problem, which I suppose is what results from giving something a bit of time, perspective and lots of good wine.

Anyways, the update in short - my job entails working under a federal program that provides medical and supportive care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the 6-county Houston area. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a memo detailing the President’s recommendations for reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act (the federal program I work under). The President’s memo recommended many changes to the CARE Act, including essentially eliminating a component of the CARE Act with which I work directly.

Initially, this news created a bit of anxiety….not because I’m overly concerned about finding another job. We have at least 7 months, and probably another year before these changes are actually implemented at the local level….and fortunately, there’s seldom any difficulty finding work with a degree in public health. However, I’m now faced with deciding whether to pursue my ongoing dreams of a career change. This feels like as good a time as any, yet the process of narrowing my options feels overwhelming.

On the downside, while the President’s memo contains lots of flowery language, the recommended changes to the CARE Act involve removing much of the decision-making processes from the local/community levels….and there is some question on how funds will actually be distributed to all populations that need services. How Congress responds to these recommendations is yet to be seen, and I’m doing my best to be positive. I have more updates on the way….including much to say about my running-related activities….but I’m running late for my Tuesday night Pilates class. But in short, running has been the best stress-reliever this past week. I’ve thrown in a bit of swimming and tennis as well into the mix, but there’s nothing like that feeling you get after a good, hard run.