A week of goodbyes
The last week was dominated by not one, but two funerals – unusual, unless you’re an undertaker, right?
They couldn’t have been more different. One for a tour-de-force, tattooed hero and icon, taken too early. Soho came to a standstill for her send-off and I think there are still a few revellers eking out the wake in The Ship. See you on t’other side, Cherie. The second, for a friend’s father, was more distant but equally intense: an intimate ceremony in the cavernous architectural stunner that is Coventry Cathedral, with emotional speeches and song.
A complete loss
The dissertation finally got submitted and so the post-study reflection begins in earnest whilst I await the result which should come in December. I’m feeling a strange mix of relief and, oddly, something akin to loss? I’ve heard of graduate blues before, but was honestly not expecting them after a part-time degree – and so I am unprepared for their effects. I’m not experiencing anxiety due to an absence of work (as is often a contributory factor) – in fact, the last part of the MBA has been pivotal in securing a decent pipeline of work. So perhaps the absence of a distant goal to strive towards is triggering this feeling? I need to keep revisiting this. In the meantime, I’m looking up some other distinctly different learning activities to pick up, starting with (hopefully) jazz piano lessons.
What now?
This week: shifting the inevitable stress cold, a bit of work, catching up with barbershop arrangements, and getting ready for a break next week. And hopefully a fair bit of sleep.