Why Regret?

I decided to come to Illinois for several reasons, but most of all I came to "finish" myself. By this I mean I felt there were things I felt I should learn both about the social world and my own person. There has been no regret for going to school, though the manner that I have progressed could be improved. Still, to play with Bookie's last posting, I don't know if the metaphor of the road is the issue, rather how we walk it. The challenge of the road's rise has done much for me, though I have not always appreciated such strain in the immediacy. What, dear Bookie, have you learned from your stride down this chosen path? For myself, the old, worn out boots of my former self were result enough.

Life

Do you ever wonder the impact of your decisions? I often imagine what my life would look like had I not decided to attend graduate school. Where would I be living? What would I have done with the last 6 years? It's funny how seemingly small decisions can change the entire course of life. I do know that graduate school has afforded me a number of great opportunities; however, I wonder what opportunities I have passed up by staying.

Someone recently asked me if I would advise her to go back to school and get a PhD. I honestly did not know what to say. In some respects, it is a good thing, as I think it forces people to grow up. But, as my advisor recently described, it is a slog. It is not the path for everyone, and I often wonder if I made the right decision 4 years ago.

Right or wrong, I am here, stumbling my way through my 'last' semester. My hope is that one day I will look back at this slog with pride and nostalgia.