For those of you who have followed my blog for many years you know that I have been struggling to pass the Master of Wine exam; one of the most notoriously difficult exams to pass, potentially of any subject. I have failed. I have failed it five times. I have failed it so many times I was forced to take a year off and I was prepared to walk away. I was prepared to move on with my life. However, DC Flynt wouldn’t let me pass into the night like that. He never gave up on me and convinced me to come back into the program to sit the exam one more time. 

After sitting I resumed my life. I took time off from blogging to rest that part of my brain a bit. I refocused on my health. I lost over 20 pounds, chopped my hair off, dyed it red, and started doing little things for myself that made me feel good. 

Yup. This is me now. I basically did everything but think about the results. I was convinced that a “howler” on Paper 2 had doomed me and there was no way that I had passed. I even slept a full night’s sleep last night and as anyone who has sat the exam will tell you, that is a rare feat. About 5 am I woke up. I pondered the thought that the results would be in my email and then promptly went back to sleep, not wanting to ruin my morning quite yet. A little bit later I woke up again and decided to get on with it. There in my inbox were the results. I opened the email and read the first few lines from Penny Richards. Then, in the second paragraph were these amazing words 

“I am delighted to report that you have passed both the Practical and Theory elements of the Examination. This is a great achievement, many congratulations!”

I re-read this sentence 4 times. I was numb. It was nothing like the experience I had anticipated. It was the feeling of trying a locked door for 9 years to suddenly find the door unlocked and open. The confusion that comes from not finding the door locked. The fear of walking through the door. The anxiousness of worrying if you should be on the other side of the door. Finally, the excitement of finding what lies beyond that door. It took several hours for the excitement to kick in and then I became distressed at not having a single bottle of Champagne in the house. I quickly drive to Rochester and remedied that issue with this. 

One more time was all it took. Just one more try after everything was lost, after I had experienced every heartache that it is possible to feel with this journey. About a year after the last time I failed I finally moved on mentally by writing a song. I will not subject you to my singing but here is one verse of lyrics. The song is called Precipace. Perhaps they will offer some comfort to those who did not receive the good news that I did. Best of luck to all on the journey and a sincere Thank You to all who have helped me along the way. You know who you are from my previous post here.

“So I’m standing on the edge

Expecting greatness

The future lies just ahead

I’m searching for a dream 

Something to hold on to

 All I have to do is rise”

Now on to the next and final chapter, the research paper!!! Hopefully a year from now my journey as an MW student will be at an end and my life as an MW will be beginning. 

What changed you ask?  Stay tuned next week for that!