new school year

I was much more excited about my third year starting before my third year started. There's something to be said for academics who climb into their ivory towers and refuse to let down their golden hair. You can avoid the politics of higher learning if you're not involved with other people in higher learning, however, avoiding all contact with potential difficulties would obviate the purpose of getting the degree in the first place. I came back to school because I didn't like the world of education that I was forced to work in as a teacher; I wanted to change the life of teachers by getting my PhD and working to create a different world for teachers to live and work in. There's a little of the idealist in all of us here in graduate school, even those of us who talk the most cyncial talk. We want to make a difference and we think we can make a difference if we just work a little harder. That said, sometimes it's hard to remember that overarching goal when the day-to-day life is so darn difficult.

So, if I have a problem, I have to think about a possible solution. First thought: I'm instituting a mantra. "It's just not important" sounds good right now, creates a sense of perspective, short, easy to remember. Second thought: I have to remember to do stuff for me. It's easy to get sucked into work at all hours of the day and night; there's always more to do, more to read, more to write. I need activities that turn my brain off and let me actually relax, get away from PhD work for at least an hour, every day, just something.