It's Friday night. I'm sitting on my bed, listening for my laundry and writing out plans in my journal.
It's been a whirlwind sort of week. Sitting on my bed, alone, in the quiet is good.
Last month was All Over October. I didn't know it until the end of the month and I looked back on all the things and realized I had done everything all over. I rearranged my bedroom. I changed my fitness routine, my schedule, how I teach my class on Sunday, my system for tracking my projects at work, my budget, how I use my planner. Nearly everything in October was torn to the ground and built back up again, keeping the parts that worked and starting from scratch where it made sense.
This is not uncommon in my life. I like knocking down everything I've done before and starting over. I find it frustrating that life in general doesn't work like that.
It's six days into No Spend November.
It's four days into No Spend Forever.
Some people have the good luck of considering carefully major life decisions.
I have the good luck of getting hit over the head. In a moment too small to realize, I know that it is time for things to change.
My major life changes happen in the same way that a person remember something they've forgotten. The name of that person or that restaurant you went to on your first date. You can't recall it and then it's there. Maybe in the middle of the night. Maybe in the shower. Maybe when you're studying or watching a show or driving to the store. Bam!
That is how things change in my life. Like remembering something I used to know. There's no dithering or wondering or comparing life plans. My life was like this. The next moment it's like that instead.
These life insights always throw into chaos my carefully crafted and revised life plans and inevitably leave me with a slight twinge of whiplash.
I am pursuing a PhD. I'm not thinking about pursuing a PhD. I'm not doing research and deciding carefully if it's the right path for me.
It doesn't matter that I've never considered a PhD before. That I told people often that I had no interest in the time investment, expense, or credentials that came with a PhD. That wasn't for me.
Four days ago I had a life insight. Bam!
I'm now working toward a PhD.
I have my preferred program and my back up program picked out. I have a timeline and a savings plan. I have study plans. (My preferred program requires that I be competent in two languages besides English. I need to do some serious brushing up on my French.)
What I thought was No Spend November is now No Spend Forever because PhDs are expensive.
