after quals...

after quals i will be a better family member, a better friend, a better teacher, a better grad student... a better person? after quals i will not be so stressed, so self centered, so absent-minded. after quals i'll read for leisure, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, eat healthy...

after quals i will do better, be better, feel better...

after quals.

after quals.

after quals....

But what will be the "more important" thing that comes up after quals? An abstract due? A poster to make? A paper to write? The thing is, there are always things that are more pressing, more urgent, more important, and it's so easy to put off those life-maintenance activities that seem unimportant at the moment, but may be really significant in terms of, well, life and happiness. I wish I could find a better balance.

I'm not so consumed with quals that I am completely blind to the big picture. In the grand scheme of things, this a tiny little sliver of my life, an unnoticeable blip in the world. But to me, right now, it seems like everything.

Three more weeks until quals.