My trip to Alaska this summer provided some perspective — both welcome and unwelcome. After spending my summer on the road, I finally laid eyes on the lights of Los Angeles earlier this month. It was late at night and I was too tired to have any profound feelings. A pillow and a real bed were all I desired, so I parked my car and reached for the only possession in it that just cannot be replaced — my laptop. And it was gone. I lost my mind as I made a mental inventory of the files I had created since my last back-up. Days of writing, all of my trip pictures and unpublished lab work were among the first items to come to mind.
I became overwhelmed with worries about my professional future. I had no computer, no job and dwindling funds. But after the initial panic, I quickly began to regroup. Fortunately, a gas station where I had stopped earlier found my bag and is sending it to me. And I've got a lead on an adjunct teaching position for next semester. I still haven't found a job for the short term, but I am not so worried about that — the trip reminded me that there's more to life than science and a career. Now that I've secured my laptop and have some job leads, my future looks brighter than it did when I left for Alaska. And the trip definitely taught me the importance of back-ups — both in terms of computer data and career plans.