Given that I have been unable to find a full-time faculty position here in California, as I had hoped and as I have studied and prepared for, I have finally done what a small part of me knew I needed to just do. I have thrown in the towel and decided to go fishing instead. Yes, that's right. Fishing. Me, of all people. My last interview at a local university was fantastic, but it came down to me and another candidate...the other candidate got the job. I've applied for dozens, and frankly, I'm tired of it. I could be bitter, but I'm not. In all sincerity, I feel like I always end up where I am supposed to be. So, I'm teaching part-time still at an online university and making decent money doing so. I still get the joy of teaching, which I very much love. But all that research I had hoped to do...well, I'm just going to have to let that go. Instead of making some huge impact in the field, I'm going to make meaningful, small differences where opportunities present themselves for me to do so. Starting with my online students (a population I adore and who keep me connected), and above all else, my family.
My wife Angela works a fulfilling job and my daughter, Jenny, is having a great summer with the neighbor kids hanging out at the pool and playing baseball in the park. But in the last post I wrote here, I think I pretty clearly summed up my son's daily life. Truth is, he needs a companion. And truth is, that companion is just going to have to be his mom. Because I work from home now, I'm here...all the time. And so is he. I've decided, finally, that I will step away from the world, the world that has continually rejected him, and join him in his isolation. And we will make the most of it! The boy LOVES fishing, but he has no one to go with of course. Me? Well, yeah, not my favorite, but I'm going to LEARN to love it, lol. So no more academia applications and interviews! We are buying new poles and we are going to plant our selves on one of these gorgeous lakes that surround our house and...fish. Something tells me it's all going to be alright and maybe even just what I needed. :)
