The Gradual Slope

At the end of term, our course convenor warned us that life often throws things at us without warning so it was a good idea to get as much of our dissertations under our belts as soon as possible in case unforseen events took us off course. I paid attention and hoped that it wouldn't apply to me. Within a few weeks a close family member became ill and unfortunately died. Rather than put my work to one side I used it to get me through the five weeks, even to the point of writing the opening paragraph on the back of a letter from the dentist, whilst sitting in the hospital. It provided some structure at a time when all sense of time and place became distorted and also as a way of going to another place for a while. I have a real sense of achievement today as I have met all of my planned milestones and have completed over a quarter of my dissertation (only a first draft, however, so I may end up re-writing sections of it). I have my second tutorial on Wednesday when I will get feedback on the first 8,000 words. I'm a little apprehensive.