I spent most of my birthday on the train towards Brasov. I did manage to get a few good hours in the pool in the morning, but the majority of the day (8hours to be exact) was spent on the road. It wasn't a bad birthday by any means. IF anything 8 hours of solitude leaves a lot of room for thought. My mind wandered over this past year and the strangest thought hit me smack in the nose( or maybe I should say it hit the train window like a bug). I have seen the corn grow and be harvested two years in a row. (I didn't say that it was going to be anything profound) Never before have I measured time by the crop cycle, but all i could think of as field after field of corn flew by was how fast one season had melted into the next. This year of my life, for all the lonely, slow moments has really raced by. In fact life is zooming by..how did i become 24?
I feel that this year is going to be better than the first. I am excited to see my students and almost excited to start teaching again. I am actually a tad more prepared than last year. And the biggest worry off my back is the fact that I don't care. I don't care if my student, my community, my counterparts like me. They know me already. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. it is such a relief to be somewhat established. I have built my nest and now I am ready to fly (boy is that corny). I keep getting emails from a euphoric Mikey in Spain. He is still in that honeymoon period. Everything is new for him and exciting and scary. I remembered that period. I loved it at the time but now it's hard not to smile and think to myself...I am so glad that I have seen the corn harvest twice already.