DiP Reflections (edit avoidance & July intentions)

Dear Readers,

What do you do when you have hours of edits ahead of you? You become keenly aware of all the other things you really 'need' to do such as housework and Blogging.

Yesterday was one of the biggest events I've experienced in my life and is reminding me of other important events such as my wedding, 2 childbirths, and my Dad's passing. In so many ways it felt very similar to all of those. Childbirth and especially saying good-bye to a loved one are overwhelmingly difficult seasons of life. Yet for me, I am so blessed because on all of these occasions what I remember most is the love I received from so many. When big events happen in my life people come from all directions and lend support and love in ways that I find humbling and inspiring. I have coined it 'collateral positivity' (after the movie "Collateral Beauty").

Yesterday I defended my Dissertation in Practice (DiP) to complete my Doctorate of Education. The setting was on Zoom and thankfully my advisor agreed to record it. (Side note: a VERY positive thing about having to do my defense on Zoom, thanks to COVID-19, is that I was able to fairly easily have a video of it. Highly recommend! it's natural to walk away with regret of "did I say that weird?" or "oh my they hated it!" when in reality the committee was very generous and I am relatively pleased with my poise throughout after viewing the video.Also at the 10 minute mark Gerald, my dog, got tangled in my laptop cord and my computer gets slid across the table...but I keep going!) In many ways, this defense meeting was a formality as is evidenced by the fact that all through the 2 years of coursework my main 2 teachers told us repeatedly that once they said it was time to defend it would be because we were ready, they assured us that they would set us up for success. All that being said, the morning of the defense, my thoughts kept turning to "but maybe I'll be the exception and I won't pass". My husband at lunch when I shared that I was more nervous than I thought I would be said, "yes, I know" (like in other words, that's a common way to feel) and also that his boss said that of the many people that she knew that didn't complete their doctorate NONE of them made it to defense day -- no one in the conversation with my husband and his boss (and others?) could think of ANYONE who made it to defense day and did not pass....and yet here are my thoughts yesterday morning:
Defense morning ramblings

I also captured my thoughts during the deliberation time, notice the hair transformation, lol.

Deliberation thoughts

Many of my friends on Facebook and Instagram have commented on my story, profile picture, and other places "congratulations" --these posts are prompting others who probably had no idea about my coursework, etc. Again I am overwhelmed by the support and kindness and appreciate this place on Blogger to process it all as it unfolds.

I have lots of great ideas to add to my conclusions and recommendations and I've written a lot of them out on my kitchen dry erase board. I am so glad that the 2 outside advisors (not my main teachers) gave such practical advice for how the research can be used. One of the best compliments was hearing them say how my research is something that is very needed and will contribute to others who "really need help".  Their critiques regarding adding practical take-aways for administrators and teachers and what they can "do" is something I value deeply and I am eternally grateful for the chance to make this clear.

July intentions:
Get this paper officially turned in to MU by the summer finish deadline of July 17 (and not use the July 24 grace period). That means I have to get it to my editor --soon (my goal is by this weekend, even though she may not start it until after the 4th).

Funny side note: my husband and I celebrated with DQ ice cream last night and I had a peanut buster parfait and large fries (this was my dinner)...I woke up 2 pounds lighter than the day before --- my conclusion is that these choices are now my new 'diet' -- (screw correlation does not = causation, lol)

Eating: 1200ish calories a day logging every other week -- no logging on Sundays
2-3 days a week 10-minute jog plus warm-up cool-down walks
4 days a week of 10-minute yoga
15,000 steps a day
make dentist/eye appointments, make mammogram appointments, get the shingles vaccine, make general health appointment(s)

As always, stay well.
Thanks for reading,
Amy BH