Lots of sleep, lots of resting, and the beautiful weather is making this week much better than the last. Lots of laugh therapy, too: We're watching The Best of the Colbert Report.
I think I've found the right graduate program for me (I think), and I'm looking forward to that. Explaining to the admissions counselor why I want to teach ESL was helpful, too; reaffirming, I suppose. It seems that whenever I make a big decision, Supporters of the Decision line up on one side and Detractors on the other, even among the few people I tell. (Incidentally, this is why I tell very few people about Big Decisions.) I can be susceptible to the Detractors, who often voice my own reservations about the Decision, and whose arguments are specific and logical, topic sentences supported by details in a 5-paragraph essay. The Supporters are vague and enthusiastic--a pep rally--because if you see the plus side, there's no need to elaborate. Explaining my goals and reasons to the admissions counselor, then, was like having the chance to rebut the Detractors to myself by making the unspoken argument of the Supporters.
Do you experience this phenomenon of Detractors and Supporters? It strikes me as universal.
Arizonans Know BS When They See It
1 year ago
1 comment:
Not exactly--but I also seek out detractors. There are two people in particular--Friend, and J--upon whom I rely for this. J is particularly good at playing devil's advocate, helping me tease out the subtleties of what I'm thinking/doing. I also find that talking to detractors helps me identify what I want or like about the thing/situation/choice (much as your conversation with the counselor) and also helps me see the potential pitfalls. Sometimes I wish I had more detractors in my life, or people who were more willing to speak up--might not have gotten married, for example, though that's probably too much to ask of a detractor.
I can't wait to hear more about this decision, I must say.
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