I've fallen a day behind, and so I'm spending this morning drinking coffee, meditating, and completing my day 8 challenge. Yesterday I chose my many years stale, incomplete comps paper which stands between me and actually graduating with the degree I've worked to earn. I've been "meaning" to work on it. I keep telling myself I will and never do. So it's time to put it front and center in my mind as something to finally address and finish.





Today's meditation and work is all about seeing opportunities, recognizing distractions, and seizing the right opportunities that I see. It does no good to see an opportunity if I don't grab it. Or worse yet, to mistake a distraction for an opportunity.

The Hermit is about quiet meditation, and his energy is what I should see as an opportunity. In order to throw myself into this paper, I need solitude and study. I need to immerse myself back in the world of academic study and reject the noise and bother of everything else. By honing in only on my inner world, I can make progress toward finally completing this paper.Oh, distractions. I snorted when I turned over the 3 of Cups. I have a long history of mistaking chances to join a group or socialize as a true opportunity. Though it is for some endeavors, it's not when your goal requires solitude and study. For the last several years, I've slowly trodded toward my graduate degree one class at a time. Between full time work, a youngster, and the graduate study, socializing is a highly tempting offer. Every time an opportunity presents itself, I eagerly accept fearful that I won't get another chance to break away.In the past when I have attempted to take time for myself, it has almost always ended in conflict or hurt feelings for others. Often I've ended up caving. The unfortunate thing is that it seems most people I surround myself with don't understand the effort or energy that is put into graduate school. Usually my energy levels are so low that I resort to anger over fighting for my peaceful time more quickly than I normally would. I believe the energy of the reversed 5 of Swords tells me that the opportunities to move toward my goal will likely be going against the grain and involve some conflict to achieve. However, I believe with the reversal it indicates I should also reevaluate my tactic to achieving my ends.I look forward to completing day 9 which addresses overcoming obstacles!