Rust
That annoying red layer that forms on top of iron, due to oxidation on exposure to air and/or moisture. Staying there, degrading and weakening the metal till it has to be replaced. I have a confession to make. I've rusted over. Just like with iron, I don't know when it started. But as I look back, the layer of rust is startling. Call it what you want – a thick layer of paint covers my true colors, that really the only thing that's happened is that I've narrowed myself down to one facet of what makes me, me . None of that is very appealing. There are many things I value – languages, art, philosophy, the performing arts, acting in plays, expressing my views, reading – but the thing I focus on most is science. Rightly so, maybe, because I can't imagine my life without the pursuit of it. What I fear is how much I've left behind, and what it will take to recover it. This is exactly what I had feared – that I would, essentially, become a shell of the pers...