So I graduate from a school next week. A school that took me three years to finish. I can't fully comprehend that it's almost over. A friend recently compared the course to "walking straight at a revolutionary war era firing line, without a weapon". It's the most apt description I've heard so far. You keep on walking straight while guys to the left and right go down. Before you know it you're stumbling around the British lines with no one from the beginning left, wondering when they're going to realize you don't belong. So yeah; blood, sweat, and maybe some tears. In other news I went backpacking in the Greyson Highlands last weekend. I've lived in NC for four years and hadn't yet stepped any sections of the Appalachian trail. Well I don't know if the section I was on is exceptionally beautiful or if thats the norm, but either way I now completely understand why through hiking is so popular.
Congratulations and great metaphor from your friend. I had a husband once who was a glazier. He'd be up on high buildings installing windows. He said that sometimes the work had to be so fine and exact that he couldn't wear gloves. Working with glass, he said, you had to bleed. You had no choice. I saw grad school that way - and a lot of school. You have to bleed. You have no choice.
You know this comment has resonated with me quite a bit. Mostly because it's so damn appropriate. The funny thing is that it doesn't really hurt-it's an accepted pain. We know it's necessary, so why really suffer it?