Wednesday, September 29, 2010

the long thesis trek

When I was on the Camino I would walk almost every day, for weeks on end. I became very aware of the ebbs and flows in my energy. Some mornings the kilometres passed as smooth as water, on other days each step was a challenge. But I kept moving forward, step by step, through driving rain, beating heat or gentle breezes.

My life has changed oh so much since then. But as I am in the last stretch to finish my thesis, I'm struck by the similarities between walking 1,500+ km and researching and writing 100+ pages.

For one thing, just as my strength each day was not the same, my mental clarity seems to vary from day to day. Some days I get on a roll. I don't notice the hours pass. Ideas fall into place, reading is a pleasure and words come easily.

On other days, I can read the same paragraph 4 times and still not be sure what it says. I stare at my open document and can't figure out how to untangle the mess of words. If time was not an issue, it would be nice to spend such days away from the computer, to tidy my house instead of my text, to bake muffins for my daughter or unwind with some knitting. But as with the pilgrimage, each day I moved forward, despite the weather, despite the variations of my strength.

So this little blogging break aside, I will continue on today. Step by step, word by word. And one day, I will arrive.


1 comment:

  1. Way to go!
    Keep it up!
    you are in the home stretch!!!!

    ReplyDelete