The new job

I was talking to a friend last night who asked me if the rest of the world is like our lives in camping-world.

There are yes's and no's, of course. What you gain in having a life outside of your camping life is the need to work harder to build friendships. In camping, everyone (okay, almost everyone) wants to know you - who you are, where you came from, what's your story. But when I left that world (and the world of my hometown) it's conceivable to spend days without significant conversation outside of work. People are wrapped up in their activities, raising their kids, making the paycheck stretch, doing a couple things they like with mostly the same set of people week in and week out.

I thought it was just a small-town problem I had, breaking into the rhythm just about everyone else was already flowing with. But of course, it's something everyone faces who moves.

It just seems more difficult when you have come recently from such a close-knit lifestyle.

Another thing you do get, though, is space to breathe. Time to think outside the 'tyranny of the urgent' as one of my favorite people likes to say.

That said, my job in particular still holds some of that 'tyranny of the urgent' while I'm at work. We still will stop everything to focus on one thing together from time to time, as a catastrophe looms over us. I'm smiling as I think about its similarity to camping, where each day of the summer could affect someone's life for years afterward. This is the start of my 2nd summer outside of that world, but those memories sure are continuing to affect me.

There are so many things I'd like to get involved with now that I have the time and commitment to stay in this place awhile. So many, that I'm stymied in figuring out which one to grab hold of first.

Until next time!