I Tracked the Shark. I Lost Myself.

Contender, the great white, is out there—almost 14 feet, tagged and pinging, his every move logged and mapped. I watch his path on the tracker, north from Florida, past Hatteras, and I wonder if he even knows he’s being followed. Five years of data, five years of my life, and I can’t remember the last time I slept without dreaming in satellite pings and grant deadlines. We call it research. I call it a slow unraveling. The ocean is wide, but this lab is smaller every day. Sometimes I envy Contender—he just swims. I keep chasing meaning in the numbers, hoping the next ping will make it all worth it. But the tracker never tells you if the shark is tired, or if he ever wanted to be found. #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout #StillSwimming #Science