I keep thinking about that hammerhead. How it looked fine until someone pried open its mouth. How the real damage was out of sight—just a hook, a moment, a decision that wasn’t supposed to kill it. I wonder if that’s what I look like, still moving, still showing up, while something small and sharp keeps catching inside me. They say the shark was fragile. That stress alone can end it. I used to think I was tougher than this—late nights, failed experiments, another round of revisions. But it adds up. You don’t see it until you can’t swim anymore. I’m tired of pretending catch-and-release is harmless. In science, in life. Sometimes the fight is what finishes you, not the wound. #Science #ScienceFatigue #AcademicBurnout