Famous Last Words: Stories From Stories Will Be the Death of Me.

I've been working ahead in this class for a reason; my course load is pretty heavy this semester, at least for me, considering I've got a job and a shiny new research position to tend along with my 15 hours. The assignments for this class have been pretty straightforward so far, though I was definitely tripped up on the "story from a story" assignment.  I probably spent too much time overthinking it, worrying if my rendition would be good enough. Ultimately I think it turned out alright, but it made me nervous for what lies ahead.

Fast forward to moments ago: I've just completed the "Browse the Storybooks" assignment, and I'm feeling eager to continue to progress.  I work this weekend, and won't have as much time as I usually would to work on the course.  I click on the next assignment and there I see it, glaring back at me.

"...'stories from stories' is the central theme of this class"

I pause, reread the text, but the words don't change.  I appreciate the reasoning for this, but that does not stop me from feeling anxious.

Pathogenic Microbiology, Cases in Medical Microbiology, Organic Chemistry (II), and a physics lab, but I'm now certain this class will be the most difficult.  Now, I don't think that the idea of asking students to write stories from stories is an absurd or unfair thing by any means, but to me, it feels next to impossible. Sure, I've been creative. I've tried to write books, draw pictures with dual meanings, and have even made up my own dances to weird songs; but that was when I was a child. At this point, I'm certain that any creative bone(s) I had in my body fell out in the form of baby teeth during grade school.
What I mean is, I have trouble discerning meaning from anything in a non-empirical sense. Or a non-scientific sense. However you want to word it, I've never been good at figuring out even the most simple symbolism, like what the hell the big red A meant in the Scarlet Letter. I want to understand, I try to understand, and it seems to be always right under my nose, but it ends up escaping.

Perhaps I'm being melodramatic about this. I have no intention of dropping this course, and I hope that I'm wrong, and that my creativity is reignited, because I think that would ultimately make me a better scientist and all around person, but I can't help but worry!


Enjoy this unrelated image!

Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris, France; Photo credit: Me (2014)