This week, I let myself be happy. I literally allowed myself to jump for joy. I did it outside. It seemed unprofessional to bounce around my lab in front of the students screaming ‘I was right!’
The last seven months have been difficult. I cried when we shut down our research labs in March. Like everyone, I have been stressed. Lockdown was frightening. I missed my family. I have kept a calm face on for my students. My emotions have been muted.
But this week I let some joy creep in. It felt good! It felt healthier to feel the full range of emotion, good as well as bad.
I told you two weeks ago that the experiment that I thought was a disaster was really a stroke of fortune. This week we did follow-up experiments. The early data are so good! Excitement keeps bubbling out of me as I go through the results.
We compared a simple lead make-up with its modern titanium version. The colour is different. The texture and feel are not the same. It is a softer, ‘prettier’ look.
The spectrometer measurements are fascinating!
We will have images and data to show you soon. I am so excited. I want to get back in the lab and do more testing. However, I am going to have a weekend where I am simply happy about this experiment!
I hope you find a way to let some joy in too. These are challenging times. We're all allowed to find a small something that makes us happy.
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