I got word from all committee members that my dissertation has been accepted, and that I am finished.
I'd first heard via smartphone email that 4 of 5 members had approved, under really glorious circumstances.
Setting the stage: I'd been back home for about a week (for an indefinite time) to assist my mom's recuperation from a health issue that got serious. She's got plenty more where that came from, so I made sure to submit the final version of the doc before I got on the plane - I'm still not sure how long my presence will be needed here.
But back then, I'd had plans to be in yet another state with husband's (B's) family, so in addition to the happiness of traveling together was the joy at seeing each other after days apart. And then I checked my email as we headed north in search of a roadside breakfast before enjoying a mini road trip.
The tiny car echoed with our WOO HOOs and my whoops of joy. It was so great - tempered by the lone holdout and my worries that they'd block my progress - but overall undefinable. I giggled and got teary by turns. So did B. I called my mom at the skilled nursing facility, and her joy couldn't be contained either. She called me later and left a voicemail that I want to keep forever - she's never sounded so proud - and made sure that everyone caring for her knew about "her daughter the Ph.D." (I got many congratulations from them on my return.) Everyone in B's family was sweetly complimentary and happy for us as well - it's been a long haul, and now we will be able to talk about something else besides "are you finished yet?" And I won't have to give an answer that makes me feel like a flake or a slacker or anything but proud. Right on!
And now I'm in the final administrivia of the process - asking B. to get signatures for me, re-checking the document for typos and anything less than perfect, and deciding about publication permissions and whether I want to turn it into an article.
I'm torn between wanting to tell the world and not wanting to be an obnoxious twit about it. It's a huge accomplishment for me, and yet I know many people do much more difficult things every single day. I guess my next challenge (aside from finalizing details of my mom's care and finding a job) is figuring out what I want to face down next.
Not sure whether I'll be keeping this blog alive or writing elsewhere, but didn't want to leave things hanging on such an ambiguous note. Thank you for reading, and for your comments and support. They've made a lonely process feel much less so.
