The Poverty of Enlightenment or The Dearth of Enlightenment- IPG

I couldn't decide which title to select for the blog title. So I went with both. I want to have cake and eat it too. Feel free to call me a cake eater.

Anyway, I have been toying with the idea of 2 blogs for quite some time, and I just don't think there is a way to split the blog. I realize at times the blog has seemingly multiple personalities because of my multiple roles: wife, student, mother, daughter, friend. But I live those roles and think that in order for the blog to remain organic...I have to keep all the thoughts in one place. I do apologize about the dissertation ramblings that have shown up over and over and over again in my blog. However because the blog is VERY organic and the dissertation has been consuming me...it reflects who I am for now.

I am very much putting the other roles in my life on the back burner at this point. I have not been a fantastic wife, mother, daughter, friend lately. In fact search parties have been formed to find my whereabouts because I refuse to call or text or email anyone back.

Typically the acknowledgments section of the dissertation is that last one written. However I have started writing some open letters to people that have helped along the way. So here is the letter for my parents. I have a few installments of the letters that I will be peppering in when I have time. :)

Dear Dad and Mom,

I want to open this letter by saying thank you. Thank you for enabling me to be a strong minded independent woman that is not afraid. I appreciate that you taught me to run…so that I could sprint towards my dreams. Thanks for reading to me when I was young instead of sitting me in front of the television…so that I appreciate a good book. Thank you for giving me enough rope to hang myself at times when I was too stubborn to listen...so that I can avoid those situations later in life when they really matter. Thank you for telling me to shut up and listen so that I would really know when it is important to speak my mind.

Thank you for loving me enough to let me fail sometimes…so that I could learn from my mistakes. Thank you for instilling in me the value of an education… so that I could find a career that captivates my imagination. Finally, thank you for showing me by example the way I should live. I learned that I could be a feminist without burning my bra. I learned that I could be an academic without forsaking my values. I learned that I am every bit as good as a man and I should never think differently. I try to instill these important values in my daughter (SD) as much as I can. For these and for 1000 other reasons, I want to thank you.

Love,

IPG