A year ago today, I was in Seattle with my brother. We were probably at the Pike Place Market goggling at the flowers and produce. It was cool and grey, a welcome respite from the insufferable Arkansas heat and humidity. In a few days, my friend Jenn would arrive and we’d travel to Portland and Vancouver, an altogether awesome trip. Here are a few of my favorite photos from that adventure:
A year ago, my brother’s wife was at sea, on deployment, and they weren’t expecting a baby. Jenn was still living on US soil, just a few weeks from her migration to France, but not there yet. And I was content, coming off a lovely winter and spring, idly wondering if I was ready to make Northwest Arkansas my permanent home.
How things can change in a year.
Today, I don’t work for Walton Arts Center anymore, and my future is uncertain. Today is the first day of the next chapter of my life. Oh, I know, that’s terribly melodramatic, but it’s how it feels. Last week was an emotional week of goodbyes and “lasts”, and I spent the weekend doing weekend things like kayaking (my first time! I only went backwards down the river a few times) and sitting under a tree in the shade with my dog, a friend and her baby (idyllic much?). I didn’t really ponder how this Monday would feel when I was enjoying this:
Today, I enter a world where, if work gets done, it’s because I’ve had the discipline to do it, rather than have it forced on me by the routine of going to the office and doing work. “Work” means something else, too; it’s not meetings and emails and reports…it’s job hunting, job proposals and research.
Today started with waking without an alarm clock. Now, I’m sitting in the blessed, glorious cool air on my patio, listening to the birds and building my schedule for the day. This unseasonable weather (70 degrees? In July? In Arkansas??) reminds me of the aforementioned Pacific Northwest trip. On that trip, I was full of joy in discovery and seeing new places, and lucky enough to have awesome siblings and friends who would travel with me.
I’m hopeful that my job search, and it’s ultimate result, will fill me up with those same feelings and put me together with equally awesome people.
Oh, and did I mention I’m going to see Lion King tonight? Suhweet. Happy Monday, y’all. For the first time in a while, I actually mean it.
Everything and a Racehorse 
Oh Jodi, while reading this I can see you sitting at your laptop, typing that “Today is the first day…”-sentence with a tear in your eye. Looking forward, not knowing what lies ahead is obviously nothing to be scared of. Uncertainty can be a major motivator and I’m very happy for you that you’re that kind of person who faces new challenges with a positive attitude and that you’re brave enough to do what others only dream of. I wish you all the best of luck for your present and future! 🙂
Mirjam
Mirjam, thank you so much! I am indeed feeling that “motivation” – though at the moment I’m channeling it into cleaning my house. 🙂