I held up my diploma, a PhD with a research area in Biomedical Engineering and said, “Look Ma! I didn’t burn out.” That was 2009.
If I had taken the direct path to a PhD, assuming a 1990 high school graduation, I would have earned it around 1999 or 2000—roughly 9-10 years after high school.
But I didn’t graduate high school in 1990. I graduated in 1991.
It took seven years and two different colleges for me to earn my BS in Physics. And it took me a full decade to complete the PhD.
There were a lot of detours along the way. But now matter how you measure it, I did it the slow way.
Holding that diploma up to my mom was my way of saying, “Mom. I know you were worried sick about me, but I was never worried about myself. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”
From kindergarten through high school graduation, I rarely cracked open a textbook. I preferred to play with matchbox cars, ride BMX bikes, or simply hang out with friends.
My mom said time and again, “Andy, you could be something if you’d apply yourself.”
I’d retort. “Mom, I want to enjoy my life. I don’t want to burn out.”
So here I am at 52, sitting in an Airstream with my beautiful wife, two dogs, and bicycles, enjoying a crisp spring morning with a cup of coffee while writing an essay. Feels good. I make a living as a commercialization advisor for brilliant medical innovators.
I say I’m lucky. And I am. I also worked really hard to get here. More importantly, I rarely sacrificed enjoying my life to get here. Sure. I’ve had hard days. Sure, I’ve pulled the all nighters. I’ve had a few “burn the candles on both ends” kind of days.
And, also, life includes suffering. Just by the nature of it. I’ve been through a divorce, am estranged from my daughter, and have had my share of illnesses and accidents. It’s not all roses and sunshine.
But. I am rarely the source of my own suffering. My track record speaks for itself. I’m cool. Calm. Collected. I do things the slow way. I prioritize family, friends, and fun.
Every day, I strive for simple things. Hugs. Meals with loved ones. Bike rides. Creative time. Relaxing. Doing and thinking nothing. Writing. Oh, yeah. And there’s some work. It’s never done. I’m not stressed over that. When I die, it’ll still be there. I won’t be stressed about it then either.
Author’s Note:
This short story is inspired by Stephanie Wilson
From One Simple Question, I Discovered I Love My Brain
Looking beyond good vs. bad, all vs. nothing, to a complex realitymedium.com
In her essay, she wrote:
“The world is a productivity machine and needs to keep upping the ante, which requires us to keep upping our value.”
I commented:
“The world can go ahead and burn out. I’m taking it slow. Ah… I’m so glad I stopped to write this. 💡”
What you can’t see in that comment is the long pause between “slow” and “Ah” where the “💡” was turning on.
Thank you for reading #DiMeo_Unfiltered
*Note: This story was originally published on Medium here.
Health, happiness, kindness, respect
for every being and all things.
— Andrew
