This will be my last year of the PhD. It is and will be hard. I am struggling not to feel stupid. I am trying to remind myself that meaning making and arriving at reasonable insights into my research world through fieldwork is my strength. Articulating my thoughts, distilled, in acceptable standards of academic writing and knowledge making are not.   

 

(Edit-OMFG. I was just listening to a podcast with Sarah Clarkson here-https://anchor.fm/modernmissmason - whose writing I absolutely love, and heard her mention something about how she's an intuitive so tends to speak in generalities instead of specificities, and a light bulb went off. Was I an intuitive learner and not stupid, viz. above context? I'm presently reading this article-https://www.artofwellbeing.com/2017/12/30/intuitivelearner/ and it's giving me a lot of peace. I love the internets, have I mentioned?) 

 

Currently holding my hand through this ordeal is Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. This is my first Ursula K. Le Guin, for reasons that are now redundant. It will not be my last Ursula K. Le Guin.

 

Also taking turns at the hand holding will be, aside from my two incredibly supportive supervisors, and the rationed last episode of the 12th season of Doctor Who, Jonathan Stroud's The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne (April release), Kristen Britain's Winterlight from the Green Rider series (September-ish release), and Sabaa Tahir's A Sky Beyond The Storm simply because I want to know how the series ends. 

 

The internets has also pointed me towards some books that feel like kindred spirits. I save the details on Instagram and the excellently designed OneNote app, courtesy my beloved old Windows Lumia 535 (and thankfully available adapted for Android) . These may need to happen after submission, though.