A Genuine "Thank You!" to the Hobbyists, and the Hobby Itself...

Greetings!  
   
Well, a few weeks ago I graduated with my Masters degree, and I simply couldn't be happier!  Having spent the last week enjoying some celebratory travels, I have had a lot of time to think about all that I am grateful for.  Many times, it was my experience in this wonderful, curious hobby that sprang to mind.    
   
Thinking about all the times my colleagues vented to me about balancing their 9-to-5 jobs with our incredibly difficult academic program, or about not being able to treat themselves to a nice dinner once in a while throughout the semester, really has me acknowledging how fortunate I have been---not only to have this "occupation," but to have been introduced to it in the first place.    
   
My degree program was DIFFICULT.  I mean testing-my-capacity-for-stress kind of difficult... the "can-I-really-do-this?" sort of difficult.  While I know that I am an intelligent and capable young woman, I literally can't imagine how much harder it would have been had I had to manage a "normal" 40-hour work week just to pay the bills.  In my experience, I was blessed to be able to cut down on my real-world job, enjoy the luxuries of escorting, save money, invest in my future, and have plenty of time to devote to my studies and writing.    
   
Without the wonderful friends I've made in this hobby --- the gentlemen and ladies alike --- who knows if I would have been able to graduate with honors (or at all) as I did!  
   
Thank you, a million times over.  You are appreciated.  
   
 
Ciao,  
 
Mi