how to support a dissertator

This question has bugged me and Mychal for too many years. Witness the unfinished dissertation...
Neither of us is really certain just how to support this (ridiculous) endeavor. It's not a paid position, so no one will give me a raise for turning in a chapter. It's not a sport, so no need for cheerleading (and no podiums). Mychal's not my mother, so he can't nag.

And, yet, today, without even asking, I was given a full complement of support:
-a friend in the neighborhood picked me up at 5:45am for swimming
-Mychal took Axel to daycare, giving me 45 extra minutes to work (and, goes without saying, relieving me from the sob-inducing guilt)
-a friend via facebook brilliantly offered that we needed a writing theme song, which gave me the perfect excuse for watching this
-another friend in the 'hood brought me peet's coffee for the mid-morning slump
-Mychal changed his chat icon to

WORK HARD
AND BE NICE TO PEOPLE

and then "slip[ped] quietly out of chat" so as not to distract

So that's how five more hours were billed to Chapter Four. Thanks village!