Most of the time, I go through my day as if nothing were special or unique or really that great at all. But other days, like today, not for any particular reason, I am struck with the thought "Am I really being paid to do this?" In other words, am I really being paid decent (in my definition) money to go to school, learn, learn more, write papers, have intelligent people critique them, and eventually get a degree from it? Most people my age are already in the 'real world' working or tending to kids or something (what a scary thought). But here I am, at the ripe old age of 24, still going to school, still dressing in jeans and T-shirts (sorry, guys, not much has changed at all...), and learning about what really interests me. I know this sounds nerdy, but I don't care--biology is one of the areas where you can really see God's hand in this world. The fact that everything works so incredibly well, and does so every single time is simply dumbfounding to me. And to think that some people still hold fast to the idea that it happened by chance!
These ideas came to me while I was reading in my big green book about fungal pathogenesis. Fungi attacking plants!! There's strategy, retaliation, specificity, reproduction, what more could you want in a chapter of biology?
Anyway, before I get too carried away with my fungal life, I will stop (there will be other days when I will not stop here--just so you know). I thought I would just share (brag) how incredibly lucky we all are to be doing something we CHOOSE to do. Food for thought...
Many thanks to Guamo for putting in a comments section. :) Hope to hear from you all.