body

Last night I ran into a guy whom I knew from physics. I talked to him a bit about the 3rd year courses he's taking, about our mutual friends, and about his plans for after undergrad.
Afterwards, I felt overwhelmed by a sense of loss. I had invested so much time and energy into wanting to be a physicist, only to find out that that path is not the right one for me. Talking to that guy reminded me of how much I had wanted that dream, and it suddenly hurt a lot to know I've had to change plans.

I was hanging out with Neil when this happened, so I was able to talk to him about it, and that helped get the feelings out, rather than dwelling on them.

I know that my new plan is better for me. Becoming a journalist will offer me more satisfaction and more success than becoming a physicist could have. And it doesn't mean I will never study physics again - I just won't do it professionally.

Changing life plans isn't easy, but what's right rarely is.