Even If You Win the Rat Race...
...you're still a rat.
But now that the race is over, what am I?
Suddenly, back in August, I faced the opportunity for a return to a role I thought I'd left behind almost twenty years ago. Since then, life has been full, but the liver has stepped back into the shadows of his own life. Teaching from new texts for classes where there are no old notes to start from has made for an academic year heavy in preparation. For the 100 hours of lecture over the two semesters, I've spent roughly 400 hours of study, 120 hours of travel, and sixty hours in labs. Part-time teaching has largely taken center stage. But now the act is over, and I think I've forgotten my lines.
It is an odd place to be this morning. Some new spaces are opening; others are drawing to a close. Where do I fit in to the life ahead?
It is the transition from must to might. I might do any number of things with the freedoms that will come over the summer. What should I do? And who determines the shoulds?
Bear with me as I sort out this new script.