X marks the spot

A pirate treasure map comes to mind...it makes me smile to think of all of us following our own trails of dotted lines to the X on the island where the treasure lies. It has been kind of a long journey getting here for me, trying to make the decision about graduate school for many reasons. I was seriously slogging through the sand last week trying to make it, getting the kids to camp in the morning and running to class, feeling overwhelmed, wondering if I had found the spot or if the alligators were going to get me. As many of you have said, there have been a lot of great moments even in one short week. I think for me the unexpected treasure was that by the middle of the week, although I still didn't know if I was going to be able to "survive," I realized that I really wanted to, because something really valuable was going on. The combination of wonderful, smart, experienced and caring people in our cohort, the inspired professors, the moving back and forth between practice (Here comes engine number 9!) and reflection, even in one week it was such a rich and thought-provoking experience. I realized I did find the right place, X marks the spot, this is just what I was looking for.