Attention

It is important to do the work. And it is important to pay attention to other things. Your academics - homework, projects, presentations, dissertation - these are important. However, there are times when it will feel as if these things are all-encompassing. And they are not. Or at least they should not be.

Take time to breathe and reflect. Notice things around you. Try to keep your work in context. It matters, but it is not the only thing that matters. Appreciate the privilege of being in a doctoral program. Appreciate the privilege of being in space with others who are eager to learn and explore and grow. Not everyone gets this opportunity.

Look around once in a while and appreciate the world, too. It is bigger than any one paper - even than that really big paper you'll write at the end of the program.

Me at Hartwell Dam writing but then realizing I was being studied by a squirrel.