I don’t have much wisdom to share with you all, but I have a rare free moment, and I am thinking of the words my dear friend BB shared with me the other day:

Was it a subtle hint to post? She will likely be offended at the suggestion, but if it was a kick in the pants, it was a good one. I miss my dear team at LOL, so so much. I remember once telling them that we had something special, and no matter how we wished it would it wouldn’t last, so we should savor it. Then Todd left for Pepsi, and it seems like good things are happening for him. And I left for PSU.

I am learning so much, and working with students is so invigorating. If anyone bemoans students today, don’t listen. They never fail to impress me. We were in the middle of a particularly difficult test on Friday when suddenly a student who doesn’t work with us poked his head in the door and asked if we needed help. He got right down to work. Every time he finished a task, he asked what he could do next. Gift from the universe. When I told him, I’d get a him a gift card for helping, he said, ‘Oh no, you don’t have to do that.’ What a gem?! Another student who was working this tricky test on his very first day in the SEC picked up every task with amazing speed.

That is not to say to doing new things doesn’t come without its challenges. We still haven’t replaced our lab manager Rachel. She was so amazing, and we are missing her dearly. The long hours have been difficult on the family. The Cooking Light diet has been basically abandoned. Although, I did lose my 5 holiday pounds and have been holding steady since. I am hoping to renew my focus on health soon. Friends who have not heard from me, I hope to be in touch soon. I’ve never dropped so many balls in my life, and it is an uncomfortable feeling, but I believe that too is part of the learning process.