My parents are in town, and today I was able to spend some time with my dad in the campus library. He had a lot of his own work to accomplish and I, of course, had homework. We sat at a table and we each focused on our own work for about three hours. I didn't mind that we didn't talk that much. We were in a library, after all, and I was very glad just for his company.
I struggled a bit on my work, research for a paper. I looked up word after word after word in some Indo-European roots dictionary, and that filled up the three hours. I felt the need to pause and stretch my legs every hour or so, to take a break from the tedious mental labor. But, my dad kept plugging away at his work.
While my dad and I had dinner together, I asked him, "Was it hard for you to build up your academic stamina?" Meaning, you weren't always that good at focusing on academic work for that long, right? My dad said it was a struggle for him too, and that it such work didn't get much easier for him until the he reached the end of grad school. He also said that he discovered his significant interest in academic research when he was my age, and I'm more interested in other career possibilities.
That was very encouraging for me. I really appreciated talking a bit with my dad about the nature of school work and academic research, which occupies much of my homework load now. I am grateful to be reminded that my parents, as perfect as they are, had the same struggles and challenges that I have now. Today, I received encouragement in my challenging school work. :)
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