Thursday, in the wee hours of the morning just past midnight, I submitted my dissertation for my Master's program. I had a strange thought to myself earlier that evening while furiously editing in a panic: after nearly 20 years of my life spent in institutionalized education, I am done.

Now, I know that one never truly stops learning. I have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. You don't go through a Master's in Library Science just because you like books. Still, it feels a bit melancholy to know that the ebb and flow of my life as it was dictated by the school year is changing. In the end it will be a good thing, and a freeing thing, but I think I will allow myself some time to both mourn the passing and celebrate the change at this very big crossroads in my life.

I can look back at the last 4 years of my life and truly say that they have been amazing, and a large part of that has been because of my educational experiences. I hope that in the future I can take more time to stop and appreciate that in the moment, instead of looking back and realizing I should have been relishing the moments when I was fretting or trying to plan for the unforeseeable and uncontrollable

I tend to be very anxious, and worry about the future needlessly. I am trying to let my life unfold here in a way that is natural and healthy, without the extra stress of trying to control things that are out of my grasp.

I have a job that I really enjoy, even if it is not directly related to what I have studied, and I am looking forward to the challenges it will bring in the next year or two.

I have a life in London, and one that I feel comfortable and happy in, with friends and family here. I am inspired by this city, and even for all its flaws, I still love wandering its streets and discovering new things about the history of the places I see every day.

I am incredibly lucky, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow and learn in the ways that I have in the past several years of my life. Bring on the next challenge.