Flying solo.

In many respects, I feel as if I've been flying solo this week. I've had some human interactions (a movie here, a dinner there, a pop into the office for a quick meeting) but overall, I've been hanging with myself since I returned from Chicago on Tuesday. And something I've always known about myself but has been staring me in the face since I've been flying solo all week is that I do not particularly care for it. Some folks cherish their time alone. Living by themselves, curled up on the couch with a good book, enjoying a morning breakfast on the porch listening to the sounds of the morning. But me? I'd take living with a good friend any day over living alone. I'd rather be curled up on the couch talking to a friend about the many wonders and mysteries of life and would welcome guests over any morning for a breakfast party over eating alone. I'm an extrovert and I definitely draw my energy from others. But I also consider my friends one of my greatest hobbies. I prefer spending time with them to reading, watching tv, blogging, exercising, and so on...But all of interests are even more enjoyable when shared with them.

Makes me really think about what life has in store for me in the next few months. Where will the job search take me? Will I find a new community to surround myself with and draw my energy from? It's definitely an important aspect of the job search for me and my quest is to find an opportunity that takes me to a city with some life to it. A buddy of mine in the program told me he's planning an on campus visit to an institution in South Dakota. Great school he said. Good professional opportunity. But what about your personal life I asked him. What do you need to be happy and will you find it in South Dakota? (I wasn't trying to discourage him from considering the job, just asking him if he thought about all aspects of his life.) Probably not he said. But it's a great job and would be a great professional move. I want a great job and a great professional move. But I want a great personal move too. I'm not choosing my professional life at the expense of my personal one. I believe both are equally important and the right job for me will be the one that allows me to have a rich and fulfilling life both professionally and personally. And hopefully one that doesn't require me to fly solo all the time...

Cheers.