Making Memories Monday: When the Going Gets Tough
Sometimes, it’s the little things that get us through a difficult time: a smile, a friendly word, an unexpected phone call or card, a pedicure… yes, a pedicure… a pedicure that ends with something very fun… very fun, and totally unexpected. Curious?
First, a bit of background: I earned my Masters Degree in School Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1996. By that point, I had also completed all of the coursework toward my PhD. I just had to finish the Big D, my dissertation, and I was ready: I had a dissertation topic, I had started my dissertation proposal, and I was well on my way to getting it done… or so I thought.
I left State College to join my new husband and to start a new job in our new home town of Jacksonville, Florida. Once in Florida, I had church, family, home, work, and after a few years, children, to occupy my time. I worked on my dissertation from time to time, but not at more than a snail’s pace… and time slunk by. All of a sudden, or so it seemed, I was almost out of time. And so, I set to work: diligently, regularly, at the pace of the rabbit who had slept too long and is in danger of losing the race.
And I made progress… but it was slower than I had hoped… and it was met by a number of frustrations and disappointments… and it was discouraging. I cried more times than I care to admit, ready to give up, to throw in the towel… and then my husband, and my mother, and my father, and my friends would all rally around me and give me the encouragement I needed to keep going.
Finally, the day of my dissertation defense was approaching, and I was a nervous wreck! I needed to calm down. I needed to be able to think clearly. I needed a pedicure, or so a friend told me. Lori was a vice president for a large bank and so was no stranger to stressful situations, and she said, “You need a pedicure.” So, you know what I did… I got a pedicure… and I came home…
with watermelon on my toes!
All I could do was smile!
The day of my dissertation defense arrived. Under my stockings, tucked away in my most proper shoes, were my watermelon toes… and I was still smiling. My presentation started, and one particularly critical professor kept interrupting… and I was still smiling. The questions started, and they were hard-hitting, but I was still smiling. I waited in the hallway for my committee to make their final decision… and I was still smiling! It was like I had this little secret, something only I knew, something I was getting away with in this stuffy, proper meeting… and I couldn’t help but smile.
And then I was called back into the room. My smile might have faltered for a moment, but just until I heard that first, “Congratulations,” and then I WAS BEAMING! I had done it! I had finished! I had a PhD AND… really cool watermelon toes!
Do you have a memory of a time a silly little something gave you the hope and the courage to continue on through a difficult time? Link up to share this or one of your other special memories for Making Memories Monday this week:
Remember:
- Please leave a link back to Adventures in McQuill-land on your Making Memories Monday post!
- Add your name to MckLinky at Adventures in McQuill-land and enter a 2-3 word subject to give blog hoppers an idea of what we’ll find at your post. Like this: Jennifer @ McQuill-land (playing dress-up).
- AND… Please be sure to link to your individual Making Memories Monday post, not your home page. This makes it easier for blog hoppers to find your shared memory!