Over the last few weeks, I crossed the threshold of another year on the rock. While the day came amidst a whirlwind of work, yet another school term ended for my students, I began thinking a lot about those bigger questions that can sometimes plague all of us, like where I have been, what I have done, and where I am going. It started as a small, fragile flicker, but has gradually been growing into a still small but steady flame. I am sure that it will continue to grow, but there is a wedding to plan and papers to grade and I became more intimately aware of how quickly time disappears, more so than usual. I seem to always pressing at a breakneck pace to do as many things I can at the same time. Just ask Ali, she can address that quality of mine at length. Still, there is a lot of different things always brewing in the back of my brain. Sure, contemplating big questions around a birthday is a bit cliché, but it actually started a bit before the old day of origin and, honestly, I am not sure that either had anything to do with the other.
Other than that, the last couple of weeks have been experienced under the deluge of student writing, as the term recently ended. This week is the first week since returning to school, that I felt like I could catch my breath. It has been refreshing. I have even actually had chance to read some material other than a student’s paper.
By the way, Ali and I are carving up the hardwood, when we are not running into other couples, while taking ballroom dance classes. We have just finished our fourth lesson and with the exception of one fifteen minute stretch, where we were ready to mix it up, we have survived relatively intact. Moreover, we have been having a fair amount of fun, despite the fact that neither of us is terribly confident or even good for that matter. It certainly is a lesson in learning. Since neither of us is terribly crazy about not being very good at something, it can be a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, we have been improving and in comparison to many of our peers in the studio, we really aren’t horrible. Granted that might not be saying a whole lot, but we’re hanging in there. Perhaps we will be able to really show some people up on our July nuptials.