A bit of a diversion this week, primarily in the form of a “what’s going on over there?” catch up…
Some of you have wisely and carefully picked up on the allusion to me moving to Montana. Those who have known me for more-than-a-few-years know that #becauseMontana has been part of my vernacular for a while for both professional and personal reasons.
Work for the last year or so has been rough for me for a variety of reasons. A not inconsequential part of that has been that this Westerner hasn’t thrived here in the midwest, and I’ve got a parent who I don’t relish being quite this far from because of health and aging issues (his, not my own).
I realized just after New Year’s that for me what I was being expected to do wasn’t sustainable. And, of course, job hunting in a pandemic is a bizarre proposition at best.
So I’m implementing “Plan B” that I’ve previously talked about but never executed. Because, as Willy Braun wisely sings in “Snowfall”- if you don’t do it now you’ll be one year older when you do. And, again, if you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that Montana has had my heart for a while.
At the end of the month, Mama C and I are headed back West, this time to Bozeman, MT. I’m taking some time off from traditional work to focus on some creative projects I’ve had to put on the back burner. I’ll be reading and learning and writing and editing (and yes, more blog again). I’ll be tending to my family. I kept my Montana medical license when I moved to Ohio, so don’t be surprised if there’s a little clinical time. It’s pretty likely that I’ll be volunteering on a political campaign or two. Oh, and I’m pretty sure there will be some serious outdoor time.
#becauseMontana
So happy for you. And listening to the song above reminds me of the Braun Family Reunion. Every year I think about it and never find the time to go. Let’s make it 2021!
I especially have to voice my admiration of you being brave enough to consider, let alone implement, Plan B. The past few years have been exhausting for me and I am now so entrenched in my professional aspirations turned enslavements that I feel incapable of activities I used to love and that are for my physical and mental health. So, I will be following you closely on this adventure!