Although I am a huge fan of the Internets (thank you, Senator Stevens), I am profoundly thrilled by what can happen when you talk to strangers, upside-down-face to upside-down-face, in a place such as a yoga class.
Most people would say I've made all the correct calls, but I'm still disappointed with how it's all come out, even if I have learned a lot in the process.
Much of my research life--the papers (there were so many), the books, the drafts--is now off to be melted down, or whatever they do at recycling plants, and made into new paper.
"At first, I didnt tell anyone. I faked the funk. I didnt want their pity. I didnt want them saying, 'well Im so sorry,' while thinking, 'glad it wasnt me.'"
People don't leave because they can't cut it; they leave because they find some other place that welcomes them, lets them express themselves, and rewards them according to their merits.