For me, anyway.

Yesterday was the final day of the three-year grant that I've been working on for that entire time.

I hope and believe that we were able to raise some awareness about violence against people with disabilities. I know we've improved the quality of services for sexual violence survivors with disabilities, a population that experiences that violence at a much higher rate than the general population.

But it's very odd to me to just not have this project anymore. Sure there were times when I absolutely hated working on it. I've come to realize that sentiment had less to do with the actual project or work and everything to do with the crazy-making (and crazy-being) boss that I had at the time.

It's really bittersweet and I'm not entirely sure how I'm feeling. For the first time in my professional life, I'm not grant-funded. It causes no small amount of anxiety on my part, but it's also kind of liberating to not have to report on every minute detail of my professional life.

I've met some wonderful people in the process and for that I'm especially grateful. The members of the Southern Arizona Sexual Violence Disability Coalition will continue to meet and work to address this epidemic in our community. My staff, present and former, in particular have enriched my life beyond measure.

I guess I'll just keep going on in to work until they tell me not to. For better or worse, I've had some sort of purpose over the past three years. I still have a purpose - to end sexual violence (no small feat) - but it seems far less focused now.

As one of my most favorite characters that I've ever played says at the end of the play in which I portrayed him, onwards and upwards!