It’s a journey, not a life sentence

The past few days have been mom and grandma duty and then off for a week of conferencing. The goods have been visiting family and seeing the art festival I have loved since a child. The bads … traveling on a super limited budget and the news we received yesterday. 

Our 38 year old deputy chancellor for education for the state died. He was a colleague. He was a professional friend. He was passionate about what he did. He was too young to die. 

Because the cause, while yet undetermined seems to have been potentially preventable I discuss with colleagues why we don’t take better care of ourselves to which one responded…who has the time?  I am certainly as guilty as this person for doing this but oh how this struck home. Not having the time, or making the time to take care of myself is not a badge of honor. Surviving neglect is not something to have to be proud of.

This got me thinking about all the things we do because we can’t or don’t take the time to veer off our path. When I am lost, I may not stop to consult a map or ask for directions. I figure that i will figure it out while I go farther and farther away from where I made my first wrong turn. Embarrassed? Afraid?  No….waiting for Siri to redirect. But Siri isn’t going to do that with my life!

Well hell, stop! Turn around!! …I… am on a life journey and I can change course any time I want to. I do not have to be lost for life!!

I am in the middle of several job searches and semi-finalist for at least 3 dean positions. It is the next logical step on the journey. But it is also why I’m asking myself whether I’m on the right road. I know that I wrote about this a week ago but suddenly something happens, someone much younger dies and I remind myself…hold the fuck on – there are NO do-overs!!  Am I  aligning with my passion and purpose or just taking the next logical step? Only one feeds my soul!!