给年轻时的自己的一封信

I see you there, months into your new professor position. Sitting in your empty office, staring out the window, crying. The sunlight hits your face. You are wondering how you are going to make it through. Are you good enough? Smart enough? You are tired. You feel stretched to the point of breaking. The waves of emotions are rolling over you. I am here, your future self, to tell you that you are enough. You don’t break. You put one foot in front of the other, and you not only make it through, but you have fun. Yes. The university gave you an empty office, an empty lab, a budget number, and wished you luck. …