Thoughts on a Tuesday

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

Washington Irving (1783-1859)

I happened onto this quote (while reading my own blog...) and I absolutely love it! Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about life: what to do after I graduate, where to go after I graduate, what I want out of life, and as always trying to understand why my life is the way it currently is and what I've learned from my experiences so far. Lately I've been looking at various job possibilities, and with that I also found a Ph.D program in Irish Studies. Given the topic of my master's thesis and my academic experience so far, a program like that would be an excellent choice. But do I actually apply for that? Spend another 2-3 years getting a terminal degree? I feel like I would be a competitive candidate. The school has rolling enrollment, so I can basically apply whenever. Their website seems to state that they cover tuition and even offer a stipend to doctoral students. But the university is not in a big city. It's about 40 minutes out of New York City (or 1.5 hrs in traffic). And while they say they have an excellent placement program, the world of tenure-track jobs is not easy. Teaching is hard and involves long hours, getting published requires time and original research, and the economy hasn't been exactly kind to Ph.Ds in education. Arguably, there are more out there than available jobs. Can I just say that it's hard to figure out what you want your career to be when you already know that your ideal career involves a ring, a man, some kiddos, and too much laundry, diapers and dishes. But, those things are not currently a reality. And they can't be scheduled or counted on. So I guess I'm just trying to strike a balance of moving forward with faith and accepting current reality. 

And to bring it back to the beginning.... I'm so thankful for my mom! She's been so wonderful at helping me through my whole life, but especially these last 7 years since I've been out on my own. We've become good friends and her advice has helped me so much.... especially the advice that I disliked hearing. Funny, but she really was usually right. I'm looking forward to spending time with her at home this June!!