Not Ready for May

Remember as a little kid when you used to play Hide-and-Seek and if you were the seeker, you'd cover your eyes (or not if you were a cheater) and slowly count to 10 so your friends could run and hide. 1-2-3---8-9-10. And at the end you'd shout out, "READY OR NOT HERE I COME!"

I feel like I am playing a good ole fashioned game of Hide-and-Seek with the calendar. And ready or not, May came. And to be honest, I haven't quite found my hiding spot yet so May won't find me. It's inevitable. No matter how much we try to speed up or slow down time, we have zero control over how quickly or slowly the days pass. The only thing we have control over is how to choose to spend them. But today, on May 1, I'm not ready. Not ready at all.

I graduate one week from today. By this time next Saturday, I'll have walked across the stage, received my "diploma" (we get the real one 4-6 weeks after graduation) before my faculty, colleagues, friends, peers, and my parents who will no doubt be beaming with pride (or so I hope) that I've accomplished a major goal: the master's degree. And between now and then? I have one paper in its final stages of completion (pending a proof read and some edits), another paper staring me in the face, a final, two "educationally purposeful" activities during the time when I am supposed to be taking finals in two of my courses, Convocation, a final farewell to my colleagues of the past two years at work, the arrival of my parents, and hopefully, a plan for where I am shipping/storing my stuff until I concretely know where the next adventure will take me.

A lot on my plate. Yes, indeed. I've started hoarding boxes and by Monday, in the midst of everything above and continuing to send out cover letters and resumes as I apply for my 21st, 22nd, and 23rd job, I'll begin to pack up the memories and my stuff.

I'm not ready. I need a better hiding spot. But it's just not in the cards for me. May is going to win this game and like it or not, I just have to roll with it.

Cheers.