New Beginnings

It’s been one of those great kinds of days. Those days when you remember how exciting and scary and new everything was once upon a time. When you remember that you had so many exciting possibilities once, and you still do now.

Happy 2008 everybody!

Today my Mom and I helped my youngest brother move into his first dorm at a college far away from home. It was so much fun! Helping him find the place and being there when he met all of his RA’s. Going out and getting everything that he will need to live a life all on his own for the first time ever. Talking about how excited he was to be embarking on a whole new journey in a world so different from the one in which he had been living.

I am so happy and excited for him! But it made me realize, also, how good it feels to be finishing up my own stuff. The thesis is out for review. The defense date will be coming up shortly. Technically, I’ll be “graduating” in the next month or so. And it is easy to be wistful for the days when everything was new and exciting. But being around Kevin today reminded me that those days never really leave you. Even as I’m wrapping up one huge project, I’ve got four others lined up at work, and I’m excited about all of them! It’s a brand new year, a new season for climbing, a new winter for skiing, and there are as many new adventures waiting as I’m willing to take!

If life is really about the journey, it can be easy to get bogged down in one spot. Instead of enjoying the trip, I start to just want to get things over with. I start asking “Are we there yet?” It’s also easy to get caught up in the check lists. “I’ve been here, and here, and here and here!” without really feeling excited about any of the “here”s.

So, for my New Year’s resolution this year, I want to be more excited and more aware of my new beginnings. I want to start even the smallest of my new projects and adventures with the same wide-eyed joy and anticipation that I did for the “big steps” in life. I will strive for care in the process and quality in life.