This
time of year, historically, has been somewhat eventful for me. I guess I should
thank technology, generally, and Facebook, specifically, for connecting the
dots necessary to see back so clearly and, eerily, precisely. Indeed, I cannot
say whether this time of year held any more or less "profound"
memories before the social media boom (which, coincidentally enough, started
around the same time I got clean), or whether the memories that are documented
are only profound because of that documentation. The profundity could also be a
function of the strides I have made in that same period of time.
Regardless,
spring, in the recent past and for whatever reason, has been an interesting time
of year. It's been a time of new beginnings, new hopes and new dreams and it
has been a time of closing chapters, the letting go and the passing on. In the
not too distant past, this has been the time of both finishing school and
completing goals, one of moving on to new goals and degrees. It has been a time
of marriage and divorce. It has been a time of preparing for my permanent
relocation and the time of my return. Spring, it would appear, is all that and
more.
This
is the end of my sixth semester teaching as a full-time gig. I have been working
in my career, my fifth or sixth (seventh?) major career change so far, for
about three years. It’s actually much longer, but I was doing it as a grad
student and only part-time before. I don't know what is normal, but it seems
most people stick to one or two, maybe three (probably related) careers in
their lifetime. Not my story. Anyway, while perhaps not a major profound
milestone in the life of Mike, it is a reasonable time to look at where I am
and what could be coming down the pike.
I
hope nothing is. I am content. I am not looking for the next place to go, the
next job to have, the next anything in the short term. Long term, yes, I am
within maybe ten years of retiring and at that point I'll be making new
decisions, looking forward to new adventures. But right now, I am good. There
is one thing that is coming up this summer which could fall into the major life
altering category, but it is also in the "new beginnings"
sub-category, and, as such, is one that holds great promise. Some risk? Sure,
everything new has some risk, but I’d like to think I have learned a thing or
two about such things in recent springs. I am confident that this consolidation
of households will be as strong as its components.
And,
of course, there are motorcycle treks planned for the summer. But even those,
while seriously gratifying, are not "new." Every ride is different
and the plan is still largely a non-plan, but I have many, many miles of
experience doing just like that. I can’t say that spring is my “favorite” time
or year - each season has something special about it - but one characteristic
that defines it, that of renewal, certainly applies.