I Wait for Meteors. And Results

Tonight's the Bootid meteor shower peak. I drive forty minutes from campus to escape the light pollution, just like I've been trying to escape the noise in my head about this failed grant proposal. The American Meteor Association calls it 'Class III Variable'—capable of surprising you, or giving you absolutely nothing. One visible shooting star per night, if you're lucky. Sounds familiar. I'm lying on my back in a field, staring up, waiting for something that might not come. My advisor said the same thing about my research six months ago. 'Keep looking. Be patient.' The sky is dark and quiet. My phone buzzes with another rejection email I won't read until tomorrow. A green streak flashes for maybe two seconds. I don't know if it's a Bootid or just random debris burning up. Does it matter? I'm still here, still waiting, still looking up. #LabBurnout #GradSchoolLife #WaitingForBreakthroughs #Science