I’m sitting here at my desk looking at the three research papers I have to turn in this week for school, all printed out and tidy with their little black clips and minimalist cover sheets. There’s about 100 pages of paper between the three of them. And all of those little black words on them fell out of my brain, onto the sheets, oftentimes accompanied by migraine headaches.

I feel a palpable sense of relief and release as I look at my piles, as these are the last three research papers I have to write for my degree. It only took me 22 years to get from Bachelors of Science to Masters of Art, and these three papers mark the end of that process. Well . . . almost the end, anyway. I still have to present my Masters Essay and attend a few classes and process some paperwork and attend the graduation ceremony, but those things are all pleasurable and manageable compared to actually having to research and write papers from scratch.

I feel I should write more here on the blog tonight, but I’m flat and without emotional affect right now, benumbed by the moment and its momentousness with regard to my quality of life in the weeks and months and years ahead.

The only thing I can think to add right now is this advice to people in or recently graduated from college: if you think you want a graduate degree, then go get it as soon as you finish your Bachelors Degree. There will never be an easier, simpler time for you to do it, and you are still practiced in the academic arts.

Me, on the other hand? I’m old. Those school skills had dried up inside me years ago, and rekindling them was no mean feat, especially since I’m at a point in my life where all-nighters and cramming aren’t really viable options. Undergraduate work came easy to me. This didn’t.

So there’s my tidbit of wisdom for the day. Go get your MA or PhD or JD now, while you’re young and fresh! That said and done, I’m now going to go sit out back in my hot tub and boil out all the kinks and knots in my neck and back while looking at the stars above. I suspect I might smile more than usual while doing it.