My afternoon naps are a surreal affair. When there is a bed or couch available, I nap on my back and often snore. I am usually half-awake so I can listen to my snoring. At the same time, I am dreaming or thinking. Yes, snoring and dreaming at the same time. Usually, I cannot remember my dreams but I am certain that I dreamed. I often wake up with a start feeling mild anxiety, but it blows over quite quickly.
Today, I didn't dream during my afternoon nap. Instead, I was lost in thought about how magical the last few years have been. Yes, they have been the most difficult of my life so far, but there is so much to be happy about. Five years ago, working in a mostly dull by well-paying job in my home city that I have never managed to grow fond of, I would never have guessed my life would turn out this way. My choice of a university to do my master's was made substantially easier by rejections from most of the other places I had applied to. At that university, I had the good fortune of meeting a professor who opened my eyes to new ways of doing economics, which allowed me to channel my disgruntlement with mainstream economics into something productive and creative. He also inspired me to seek a career in academia, putting me in touch with his former student who was a rising star in heterodox economics and doing research in my areas of interest. I didn't have a plan for life after my master's but was reasonably sure that academia was not for me. That former student is my supervisor now and despite having a few teething troubles, I now believe I couldn't have asked for a better supervisor. I had to interrupt my PhD studies but was able to return to them with relative ease, buttressed by the solid support of everyone involved in the process. Also, I almost didn't go to the counselor who showed me the path towards light because she was booked for months. I had arranged to meet with another counselor, but on the day of the appointment I got a call from my preferred counselor's office offering me the slot of someone who had cancelled. So much good fortune, so much to be grateful for. It is important to remember.
Today, I didn't dream during my afternoon nap. Instead, I was lost in thought about how magical the last few years have been. Yes, they have been the most difficult of my life so far, but there is so much to be happy about. Five years ago, working in a mostly dull by well-paying job in my home city that I have never managed to grow fond of, I would never have guessed my life would turn out this way. My choice of a university to do my master's was made substantially easier by rejections from most of the other places I had applied to. At that university, I had the good fortune of meeting a professor who opened my eyes to new ways of doing economics, which allowed me to channel my disgruntlement with mainstream economics into something productive and creative. He also inspired me to seek a career in academia, putting me in touch with his former student who was a rising star in heterodox economics and doing research in my areas of interest. I didn't have a plan for life after my master's but was reasonably sure that academia was not for me. That former student is my supervisor now and despite having a few teething troubles, I now believe I couldn't have asked for a better supervisor. I had to interrupt my PhD studies but was able to return to them with relative ease, buttressed by the solid support of everyone involved in the process. Also, I almost didn't go to the counselor who showed me the path towards light because she was booked for months. I had arranged to meet with another counselor, but on the day of the appointment I got a call from my preferred counselor's office offering me the slot of someone who had cancelled. So much good fortune, so much to be grateful for. It is important to remember.
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