Sunday, August 5, 2012

Recharged and powering forward

Coding. It is the tedious process of identifying categories in your research examples so you can compare and contrast them and ultimately find a way to elicit a theory that is “grounded” in your work.

At least, that is what coding has meant to me for the past several weeks. I am doing a "Grounded Theory" research and have been stuck in “code mode” as I consider the memoir examples I am reviewing as part of my Journey to Dissertation.

When this Ph.D. candidate last met you, she was spouting off what academicians might consider “blasphemy” -- poo-pooing the stict regimen of nonstop dissertation research and writing, and rebelling against my quest for a Ph.D.

Yes, I was talking crazy talk. Yelling about yoga and photography and, OMG, “having fun.”

This doctoral journey is hard work. It demands that you set aside all but the most necessary activities for a prolonged period. Dedication, sacrifice, hard work. Yes, I get it. It’s a bitch.

And yes, I get it. It’ll be worth it “some day.”

So here I am catching you up. I did the yoga series, and got my fix of spiritual reassurance and adjustment for this Journey. I looked for the photography class and did not find one that is available now (The Doctoral gods' way of keeping me on the path?), but I am poised for that activity in the future. I got to share in the landscaping of my yard, getting my fingernails gritty with the hungry soil that has longed for pretty plants and flowers to take up residence after so many years of, well, apathy.

Good enough. It was just the nutrients I needed to recharge and power forward.

I have plunged back into the canyon of my research. Armed with comments from my readers on my first chapter, I am digging in to answer their concerns, rearrange my writing, and get that chapter tiptop. I have a start on chapter two that is now on hold as I dive into coding of my memoir pieces -- the very core of my dissertation.

It is rough going, but it is going. This ain’t no power surge. This is a strong current.

Copyright 2012 By Marianne V. Heffernan


Question for Walking Distance readers: What do you do to recharge your batteries?