One week after commencement, I sit in Maui (at 5AM!) and
ponder the year I just experienced and the year that is ahead. You see, today is my birthday. Every year on
my birthday, I withdraw and consider some of the things that I’ve done right in
my life and some things that need improvement. I make my annual birthday list
of goals that I’d like to get accomplished in the short and long term. There is
a goal for every year, so the list does get longer! I think that I’m almost up to 40 items?! (Yikes!)
This year my #1 goal, graduate from Harvard, was achieved. It took me over ten years to get to the point
where I could mark through the goal and list it as completed. You would think
that a goal that was so hard (and expensive!) to get done would leave me giddy
with excitement. Truth be told, I felt
very little emotion.
When is the magic supposed to happen?
If I weren’t in such a reflective “about to turn 40” mood, I’d
still be waiting for Tinkerbelle to sprinkle me with some fairy dust. But, for me, the magic has already happened.
The magic was in the experience of attending Harvard, not the receipt for
tuition diploma that I received or my ability to drop the H-bomb.
Admittedly, when the homework got heavy, I slacked in updating
this blog. As a result, I was only able to share a few of the big and tiny
things that were a part of the Harvard magic.
My 300 days at Harvard have come and gone. I’m 7 days post-Harvard
and the dust is still settling. I still have not spent a night in my home. I’m
still seeking gainful employment. The boxes
from moving halfway across the country are still piled in a corner. My
refrigerator is still empty. But more importantly, I still feel that I need to
share some of the magic.
For now, I’m planning to update the blog with my 100 days
post-Harvard to include some new experiences, but it will mostly be reflections
on the past year as they pop into my head. The updates will be sporadic, at
best but they *will* include more pictures. (Yay!)
Hopefully, it will be a way to spark my memory and to
continue to give you a peek behind the Harvard curtain as seen through my eyes.
The journey continues.
