The Journey Begins

A couple weeks ago I proclaimed that, beginning 1 Feb 2012, I would post on my blog every day for one year. There's a long road ahead, so I think I will begin with some lighter fare. I am sitting in my office on campus surrounded by books, many of which I had sent to me from publishers for free. This is one of the perks of the academic life. I love books, so when I get them for free, it feels like Christmas comes multiple times throughout the year. I have requested a lot of books to examine and determine whether I would use them in the classroom, but the best books are the ones that randomly appear because a publisher's representative was thinking about me and thought that particular text would interest me.

As I sit in my office, I also think about how great it is to have my own office. I shared office space at FSU for five years. Some experiences fared better than others. Overall, it usually worked out, but there is nothing like having my own space to escape the world to some degree and bury myself in work: from class prep to personal projects, it helps me keep focused.

These two things add up to something very important to me: my education. I am so grateful for it, for how far I have come. The hard work paid off in huge dividends. Sometimes I think that it's too bad those dividends aren't monetary, but I love what I do. When I look back and ponder the journey, how far I have come and all that I went through to get here, I am amazed. It all still feels so fresh. Granted, I am still less than a year out from that dissertation defense, but I hope it always feels this way. In fact, there is no reason it cannot. I hope never to take for granted the status, education, and degree I have worked so hard to achieve. And I am so grateful to those who supported me along the way. Thanks, Leah Marie, there every step of my graduate education, and thanks, things, who assisted with that final push of motivation. I started the journey for myself, and finished it for all of us.