Day 1 of the Final Burst

 Day 1 of the final burst started predictably. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to focus. I knew returning to my PhD after a gap of a few weeks would not be easy. I would take some time just to bring myself to the position where I was stuck, before I could even attempt to forge ahead. Understanding why I am stuck and thinking of possible solutions that I had discarded previously for one reasons or another, before i could think of new ones. I am sure there is a more systematic way of going about this. But, the upshot was I did nothing until the afternoon, half-hoping that I would get the rejection from SOAS soon so that I could call it a day and stuff my face with chocolate cake. But the rejection didn't come. Instead, I got a message from someone who teaches at Bristol Uni about a job opening for a three-year lectureship in the economics department, where I hadn't even been short-listed for a more junior one-year position a few months back. The message perked me up. I have been dreading not having anything to look forward to if I get rejected by SOAS. But, whenever one door closes, or even before another door closes, another one opens, if you are lucky. I might not get short-listed for the Bristol job, but that's not the point. The point is its a job that I have a reasonable chance of getting, and the act of applying itself will be beneficial to me. I will be able to tell myself that I am doing the best I can to secure my post-PhD future. And one can always dream of getting a job, at least until the time of the application outcome. And, during hard times, dreams are a big source of sustenance. And, so what if they are dashed? They can always be replaced with new dreams.