Everybody's leaving. Or at least that's how it feels this week. I'm leaving Vanderbilt after a year that's been fabulous in every way. The graduate students my beloved and his colleagues feted here in Athens Friday night are off to new jobs and cities and lives. Our graduate students at Illinois are, too, and if I think too much about how badly I'm going to miss each and every one of them I'll simply lose it. Add to that a smattering of finnfam graduates (both the high school and college varieties), relocating colleagues, and even a few friends who managed to sneak away while I was gone (you know who you are!) and it's easy to feel unsettled. Some of these changes were anticipated, others not so much. But what all they have in common is the truth that we all have futures that we could never have predicted or planned for, even though we did try to predict and plan.
So I choose to be optimistic. Our students are not leaving, they are heading off to do what they're passionate about and committed to and trained for. I'm not leaving Vanderbilt, I'm going back to wonderful colleagues and friends and students and Saturdays at the farmer's market and digging in my yard and summer beers on the patio at Cowboy Monkey.
The times they are a-changin'! The future lies ahead! And everything like that...
Damn right, Cara. I'm not leaving Geneva, I'm returning to Champaign. Cowboy Monkey, here we come! Run past my house and wave like you used to do until I get back.
Posted by: Sara | 07 May 2007 at 02:29 PM
Life would be easier if it were as predictable as the farmer's market, that's for sure!
Posted by: Grim | 07 May 2007 at 06:42 PM
One thing certain about the future: things will change. But cherish the memories of the past. They will carry you through even the toughest times. Dad.
Posted by: John Finnegan Sr. | 08 May 2007 at 09:42 AM
Sara: I will wave. But will anybody wave back? SIGH.
Grim: Yes, the market is predictable. Like, if you don't get there before 9 am all the Blue Moon greens will be gone!
Dad: Awwww!
Posted by: caraf | 08 May 2007 at 02:54 PM
Cara's Dad: Awwww! (I agree).
But what I WAS going to comment is this: Cowboy Monkey, eee haw! Or whatever a monkey in a cowboy hat would yell.
Posted by: dhawhee | 08 May 2007 at 08:37 PM