Almost two months ago, I mentioned one of the reasons for my absence in the blogosphere. It is indeed exciting and jittery to wait for the final mark of my thesis. Then, I got so busy with so many other things that I forgot about it. Until that ‘hey-what- now-moment’, I checked the official results on a Saturday… I did it — with a distinction mark!
Now I am writing to reflect genuinely and as raw as possible.
It was extra challenging in the first quarter of this year when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Long story. However, it was a result of my gynecology-related concern. I had a dramatic phase and I remember thinking of postponing my thesis submission just because (I thought) I lost the drive to do it.
The prior and current years were ultra exigent at work. It demanded so much of my energy and well… everything of me. I sacrificed a lot of things and thought of postponing my thesis submission because I just could not find the time anymore.
I am not a quitter. Yet, why did I even think of postponing the submission? I simply did not want to just pass. Forgive me if I will sound arrogant. However, when I started drafting my proposal for my area of study, I looked at it not just as a major requirement to complete a master’s programme. I wanted to contribute to the profession. Then, that longing branched out into other aspirations. I wanted my piece of work to be amongst the few selected to be archived in the library. As I went on and consistently consulted the criteria, I felt the drive to hit the distinction mark. Along the way, there were several road blocks. For a moment, I doubted if I would even pass. That made me re-evaluate my target and conclude that “Alright, I should at least pass.”
The days that followed were full of hiccups, yet faith endured. Whenever I tried to view things on a long-term basis, it was insane. I was constantly anxious. So, I decided to take one step at a time. I re-strategized and opted to take a minimalist approach. That I should not waste any minute for any negativity. That for each day I should do and surround myself with people and stuff that I love. Each day should be better than the past days, not exactly the day that preceded. I had an honest conversation with myself to identify the things that I would have had to sacrifice until my thesis is submitted (but never gave up the almost a month trip to US last July). Of course, I had my slippage, hence, I had to work on portions of some chapters while in the plane and other odd times and avenues. Since I did not want my health to suffer further, I had to view that each day only had 22 hours instead of 24 hours. Therefore, I automatically had ‘extra 2 hours’ for sleeping. Yeah, I had to re-imagine foolishness for my own benefit.
When I was doing the final edits, I did a mega starry-eyed and unsophisticated mistake. I accidentally deleted a paragraph from one of the chapters as I did a cut-paste. Surprisingly, I did not feel like punching myself. I found comfort that I did more than I could within the given equation and resources. I believed (and always do) that The One up there will take care of the rest. When I got the detailed feedback for each chapter, it was quite a shock that the chapter that I had that naive mistake rocketed my mark. On the other hand, the chapters that I thought I have done perfectly (hahaha) fell short.
Fast forward. Until I got my final marks for the entire programme, I did not realize that I am capable of foolishly grinning like Jim Carrey because I will be marching on stage for my graduation (been awarded with distinction) in UK soon. Old tunes are always a good idea – when we are hardest hit, the more that we should not quit. My heart is full of gratitude to The One up there.
8 thoughts on “Yay! Done with flying colors :)”
ewok1993
Congratulations! Well done. I’m super inggit. At one point in the past I was going to school here too but too much work load had prevented that. I wish sometimes I continued despite all the difficulties. Happy holidays!
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witsandnuts
Thanks! Nothing’s too late to explore new interests. I hope you had a happy celebration of Thanksgiving. 🙂
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eds
Wow! That’s great. Congratulations.
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witsandnuts
Thanks, Eds!
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Arglene
Congratulations, Jo! 🙂 You’re so inspiring!
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witsandnuts
Thank you, Arglene!
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edelweiza
Congrats! All hard work pays off talaga. If things would go well, my husband is also going to graduate from grad school in October of this year. 🙂
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witsandnuts
Thanks! I tend to enjoy the hardwork part (although not at all times especially when I’m deprived of sleep) because of the learning involved and the opportunity to be out of the comfort zone. Best of luck to your husband!
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