Another chapter

Diss, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Another week, another mile marker. 39 pages, four appendices, printed and bound, I packaged, sealed and sent my disseration over the atlantic to a board room full of people I have never met, who will determine my academic fate. This is my final requirement towards my degree. Sionada!
While I am delighted to finally finish another chapter of my life, I puzzle over what is next. As with finishing anything of importance (an activity that seems to mark this year), there is a sense of relief but also a sense of loss. While I am curious about many unexpected feelings and pressures that accompany a master's degree, I feel a little like Juiette Binoche in Chocolat: held by nothing and driven by the gusty north wind. OK, so i'm held by a mortgage and a love for the beauty of the mountains, but yet longing for that next chapter-a vision and a calling. Certainly, this is the angst of so many within my generation. *sigh* *smile* If all goes well, I will graduate in January and then, as the good Shakespeare put it, "the world is my oyster!"