A Wish Your Heart Makes 22

Hello folks, remember me?

The month is coming to an end, and with it, my commitment to writing this blog. I hope it has been helpful to some of you out there in the internet.

I am settling into my new job and so far I love it. Of course, my inner pessimist keeps waiting for the other shoe to fall. For right now I am thoroughly enjoying it and feel like I ABSOLUTELY made the right choice.My job provides me a near perfect mix of challenge and discovery. I work with an incredible group of people who challenge me and care about me in a way that makes me want to give my very best every single day.

Today I went to the retirement celebration of a coworker. It was a little weird because I have only known her for a few weeks, yet I felt this pang of emotion. One, she is a wonderful person. Everyone had such heartfelt things to say to her and they felt genuine. And two, she's been a the University for close to 40 years. I find that to be amazing.

I lived my life as a vagabond. My mom moved me from school to school and I've called at least four states home. I had always found people who stayed in one place to be a little bit prosaic. I imagined I would get  few more travels under my belt before possibly settling down in my middle age or something. But when I was hearing about the story of this woman, who had given so much of her life and energy to this one institution I felt a growing respect for her loyalty. I too love this institution and feel bound to see it grow and expand. There may be many opportunities for professional growth in other positions but I am realizing I may be a person who is more bound to their location then their titles.

I do believe it is possible to build communities beyond borders. Our profession's professional organizations have further validated that point. And in this age where people have become more mobile and technology compensates for our face-to-face connection, it can be easy to move from state to state and institution to institution. Yet, the heart of an institution remains the same. It may still continue to attract exceptional professionals and people. It can still continue to be home.

I feel really connected to this place. The double digit legacies of the people who surround me, convince me that I am in an incredible place. It's 8:30 and I am still sitting in my office (take that work/life balance) really appreciating where I am today. Yes, I found a job but I found so much more than that. I found a community, I found a love, I found a passion, I found a reason to wake up every morning. I found myself.

Until Next Time