If you can't see the light ahead, back out of the tunnel

Whew. The decision is made, and now I can type it loud and clear. I've changed 'tracks' on my degree, and I've dropped the thesis portion of my masters.

It's bittersweet, and I feel slightly sheepish, but I am mostly relieved. As I chatted with wise friends and faculty, the main message I got was that the decision didn't affect anyone but me. I had to choose what I thought was best, and no one else would really be impacted one way or the other. That was nice to hear. Now I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Whew. Barring unforeseen events, I will be finished no later than December of this year. It's later than I would have finished if I had figured this situation out last summer, but I can live with that. I can definitely live with that.