...and the start of the end

In the next couple of days the button will be pushed to sign up for the final OU module, can't quite believe that a big part of my life finally has an end in sight!  I can't quite imagine the structure of life without it, it's been integral to how my life has been arranged for so many years now. (you don't plan a holiday when you have an assignment due etc...and don't get me started on bathing without a text book!!)

It comes at a time where, already I can't imagine what the next part is going to bring, a whole new world is opening in front of me, one I hope that I'm equal to, and that I hope to love as much as the journeys that have brought me thus far.

I still find it hard to imagine what 'real life' as a developer will look like, the training room environment has a shelter to it that I won't have in the real world, but that being said, the real world will involve returning to part time work which I am looking forward to immensely.  (Although I can imagine that at least some of my time may be spent hunched over a computer in exactly the same way on those 'non working days') It will be nice to spend some time just 'being' again, time with Phillip that I have missed out on, and time with both house and family and friends that I look forward to rebuilding after these long months of focus.

I've been taking 'baby steps' back into the real world, building up the activities slowly as if I were recuperating from something, it's kind of hard getting the brain and the body back into any kind of normality.  My BFF and I have gotten back to 'craft night' and very slowly I have picked up simple craft projects as something to do that doesn't involve a screen.  Until the end of the course I have been quite reluctant to do much more than this, as we still required excessive thought during the day, so the brain cells and body have had the night off most of the time since finishing the OU course.  Quite honestly I feel like it may be a while before I can tackle anything of complexity while I adjust to yet another New Normal, as yet unknown in structure and pace.

And then another couple of months and a new course to fill the 'spare hours' - I'm hoping that some of the structure of studying that I've built over the last year can stay with me, I've had to be even more disciplined with study time and how it fits in around the working life, so if I can maintain that, I can hope to go out on a high with a final Distinction that might swing me a good grade for the 'Honours Bit' and make that graduation day stand out in my mind even more next year.  Eek I get a ceremony next year!!