However, although we weren't sunning ourselves in the Mediterannean, I still feel refreshed. Three weeks away from the bench is a plenty long time, long enough that I now regard my experiments with a sort of hazy happy indifference. Much improved from prior to this trip, when I regarded them with fear and resentment. ("What, like it would have killed you to give me some publishable data?")
In fact, it is possible that my busy vacation actually helped me with re-entry. After last year's trip (which involved lots of sunning selves in the Med), I was almost too blissed out to return to the bench. After this trip, I'm just plain grateful to be doing benchwork rather than changing a diaper, coaxing a reluctant infant to sleep, or commiserating with my grieving family.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning had a few lines on this I always liked:
Get leave to work--
In this world 'tis the best you get at all;
For God in cursing gives us better gifts
Than men in benediction.
She didn't say "Flying Spaghetti Monster" but I'm totally sure that's what she meant.
4 comments:
Welcome home. I've often thought that perhaps the best kind of vacation is the one that you are just ready to come back from at the end. Of course, it never really happens like that for me. Either I never want to come home, or I want to come home on day 2 of 7.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather, and I hope your experiments justify your new-found indifference in them. :)
sorry about your grandfather.
I know exactly what you mean about indifference being a better way to approach experiments.
And yes, I'll take the bench over an infant ANY DAY.
I hope your grandfather is watching over you.
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