I meant to write this earlier—before New Year’s Day, in fact. But in
days full of church, children, family, and work, I didn’t set aside
the time. And now it’s January 3rd: not quite New Year’s Day, but
close enough for rhetorical purposes, I guess.
It’s hard to escape the cultural conviction that a new year’s
beginning means a reëvaluation of one’s life and a rededication to
living better—or maybe to just do the things one ought to have been
doing the whole time. Like many people, I have good intentions for the
rest of the year: pray more, eat better (or at least, plan out meals
better), exercise, engage more with family and friends, read good
books, and so on. But of course, I’ve had good intentions in previous
years too: the track record isn’t looking so hot.
But one thing evidence shows I can do is talk—my mother has told me
several times I could argue with a brick wall and win—and by
extension, that means I can write; though whether you’ll want to read
it is another question. So while I’ve chosen to set the
100 Days to Offload challenge as my
goal, fortunately, the rules—such as they are—provide that “Posts
don’t need to be long-form, deep, meaningful, or even that well
written,” nor do they have to be posted on any particular day or
schedule (though I’m aiming for twice a week). You’ve been warned.
This is the last week of school holidays. The kids are tired of
sitting around the house, with mom and dad grumbling at them to pick
up and clean up after yourself and don’t do that to your sister and be
nice to your brother and use your inside voice—and all the things
parents say and have to say to their children. Even though next week
will bring the end of staying up late and sleeping in, I think they’re
ready to get back to classes and homework. My wife too is already
looking towards what her own semester will bring: in addition to the
usual crop of students, yet more travel for recruiting, and continued
work on the department’s accreditation and all the administrative
tasks that go with that.
As for myself, I’ve been considering my own working life in 2024. This
year will mark a full decade with one employer. There aren’t many
things in my life that I’ve done longer. I have to admit, there’s a
part of me that’s restless and chafes a bit at that—“Move on! Find
some place new!” it growls. I’m not completely opposed, I suppose. But
I like my coworkers and the work I’m doing; there’s no sense in doing
the same thing somewhere else. A move would have to be both quite
different (and, frankly, equally lucrative) to attract me.
I’ll end here. I’ve got 99 more posts to fill, after all!