i have put a lot of time and thought into this template – not least its ‘appropriateness’ for a blog that is of both an academic and personal nature. this blog has always been strongly connected with my ‘real-worldness’. it is more than a place to disseminate my research, but also very much a place i inhabit online. as such, it has been a reflection of my life’s journey over the past three years – from the breakup of my marriage, to the beginning of my phd, to finally getting the hang of just being. it has been a map of my successes and of my failures. the constant changing of templates was also a reflection of my own personal search – a reflection of my journey through the giddy recklessness of a late adolescence, to the settling and confidence which always warmly greets the traveler at the end of such a long trip. that is my truth now. i have ended my strange journey though adult adolescence and finally feel settled and confident and happy/proud of what i have achieved. i am not sure i have ever felt that before…but the pain and lows and highs were worth this ‘end’ result (of course, end is a relative point, a place marker in this journey).

so this is my template. it is my reflection of strength – of a fight through glass shard covered valleys and the occasional breathtaking high. maybe some day i will tell you about the journey…until then, enjoy my illustration…namaste