okay, so maybe writing's not that bad

my life for the last few weeks has been fairly absorbed with writing my theses. the adventures of life in the house/ community have kept me from being completely devoted to it every moment of the day (which, along with my daily bike rides and chats over lunch and/or coffee, have probably helped with my general sanity). but things are getting quieter in the house - as someone has an unexpected vacation and the 'newer' people are settling into routines better or deciding that the demands of community life aren't what they're looking for right now. even these events require some adjusting but the emotional energy required is a lot less. and thus, i have more time and energy to focus on writing the theses (which filled me with a bit of trepidation as the adventures of life in the house, even if emotionally tiring, are a lot more interesting than my theses).

yet yesterday, as i sat down in front of the computer yet again (as i'm currently late with hadning in the last chapter, my punishment is that thesis writing is what i should be doing every moment of the day), i realized (much to my surprise!) that i didn't mind doing this - in fact, i kind of even liked it (although 'kind of' is the key phrase here). as writing papers has always been what i liked least about studying, the period of writing theses (and even more a dissertation!) seemed like it was something i had to put up with in order to do what i really love - which is learning and teaching.

perhaps it is the topic that i'm writing on, perhaps it's the fact that i actually have enough time to research (tons) and re-write, perhaps it's the sense that this is not just another assignment of someone else's choosing that i have to crank out in order to finish a class, perhaps its this year's pause from constant paper writing (which dominated my life for the last five years) and/or perhaps i've just changed what i dislike. but whatever the reason, i am deeply thankful to be able to greet with some enthusiasm my daily task (thesis writing) that will remain with me for the next few months.