Finally, a complete draft of the book has gone into the press, and the next phase, copy-editing, awaits. I would never have gotten this far without the support and assistance from so, so many people that it’s hard even to know where to begin in making thanks. This is a huge milestone, and one I wasn’t sure I was going to hit; there’s a long way yet to go, and still, finally, the end is sort of in sight.
Recent days and weeks have brought multiple reminders that neuroplasticity and time are wonderful things: today, during a car trip, I realized abruptly that I was managing to grade papers while Michael was listening to music. This was not possible even six months ago. Last week, in a crunch when a colleague was ill, I managed to do an entire day of presentation, well beyond my longstanding limit of five hours (and then crumpling). I still do not have the stamina to do that every day, or even every week, and yet it was another high water mark—the first time in almost four years I’ve been able to stay upright for that long at a stretch while working throughout.
So, while the progress is so slow as to be almost unnoticeable at times, it does creep along, a millimeter at a time. It’s not fast enough to deserve the dignity of the label of inching. Maybe the slow hare does get there after all.
