With the semester ending and the holiday season beginning,
I've not had much time to blog recently.
I'm currently stuck in Dallas because of the winter storm
and find myself with some unexpected free time.
This is the view from my hotel window. It doesn't look too bad from here but there's a lot of ice.
My flight home today was cancelled and I'm on hold, at this
very moment, trying to talk to the airline.
The airport here is basically shut down, and I don't really
expect to get out of Texas anytime soon.
I'm a little frustrated....and super bummed that I won't get home to see my
boys today. I've been away for four days, and I miss them terribly. But I'm trying to be positive. I'm definitely grateful that I'm still at the
hotel and not stuck at the airport sleeping on a cot, but I'm ready to be home.
I'm here for a literacy conference and yesterday I presented
a paper. This was my first time
presenting at a conference of this size and status. Needless to say, I was a little nervous and
certainly felt out of my league.
However, the presentation went beautifully, and I received some very
positive, encouraging feedback about my study.
In fact, multiple people asked to read my paper!
Academia can be an intimidating field, and I'm often haunted by feelings of insecurity. I doubt
myself and my abilities, but with each success, those self-depleting voices are
slowly becoming silenced. After seeing
several other presentations and getting such positive feedback yesterday, I
have a renewed sense of belief in myself.
I also feel re-inspired to get this paper done and put it
out there for publication, something I've been avoiding because of my fears
that it wasn't good enough. I'm reminded
of a quote I once heard:
“If you are
lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to
live it.” ~John Irving
I am finally starting to feel like I can play in this
playground and do so with some confidence. It feels good....really, good.
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