Finally coming up on the conclusion of our first 12 days of Christmas. The tree will come down in a few hours. The season of Yule seems to be coming to an end as well. It is time to press forward into 2013, as I now feel the fact that 2011 is now two calendar years behind me, 2009 now four years back.
What was 2011? Going to Finland for a dear friend's wedding, deciding to teach on-line, meeting Ben, getting married so as to truly tie the knot, moving to Jackson in about three steps, and declaring this place to be my new home. Nothing major. Just the usual, "every seven years in Marty's life, he goes for it" kind of year.
What was 2009? Watching the stock market crash with my dad as he lay dying in the hospital, feeling the crushing burden of teaching and supervising graduate students teaching in NYC, burying my dad, being the only one in my family with a belief in the after life, coming to realize that in order to press forward into my own future, I had come to NYC to learn of my ancestors. Which I did.
What now of 2013? Ben and I leave for Hawaii in a couple of days. After several days of -20F mornings, after more than several days of being cold even through my great ski jacket and my great sweaters, I am ready! Ari is about to receive her mission call any day, a letter that will not only change her life, but I would think her mother's and mine as well. Because when she comes home, she will most certainly be a young woman.
In a few weeks, I will know whether my own contribution to an upstart company in the area of communications media will bear fruit and invite me to step up my efforts by spending considerable time in Salt Lake City these next six months. I would like that very much as I know both Ben and I could withstand commutes (4 1/2 hour drive) regularly to fill in the gaps. Besides, it is time to offer a presence (rather than just presents) to my younger two daughters.
In a few months, I will come to know what my longer term work life will be - whether here teaching at either the public school or at a private school; whether more work in Salt Lake City; or whether somewhere farther away that I don't yet recognize. By the end of summer, Ben and I will know (depending upon my own successes AND his own success with his new company) as to whether we might begin planning for 2014, after all of our dreams we have privately shared.
The blessings of my life continue to astound me. The challenges I have set up for myself in this life continue to amaze me. The pains and pleasures of life in this thing called a body continue to intrigue me. And what I do know is that I will write at much greater length when I return here from Maui.
In the meantime, I sense that it is coming time to believe that the American political system is about to enter a fundamental tectonic shift, that will shift the past 20 years of Gingrich style "take no prisoners until you win attitude" of our Legislative branch to a Nolan (MN) style "find compromise because that it what we are here to do attitude" of what our President has been modeling his whole life.
Here's to 2013 with all of our dreams, and yet another opportunity to build plans.
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