Ahead

A road somewhere in Virginia.

Earning a doctoral degree is hard. It just is. It should be. Not a lot of people do this thing you are doing. That said, you can also enjoy the process a lot of the time, too. The people you are connecting with - faculty, but especially other students - you are building a shared experience that has its own language, culture, lore, history... You will have a connection to many of the other students in your program long after you finish.

And those clouds on the horizon? Sure, those clouds could represent some storms that lie ahead. But they also could just be some really pretty clouds, so try not to worry too much. You have the ability and support to be successful.