I'm Just Visiting This Planet

I've never worked so hard, so many hours, so far out of my "comfort zone," in my life. In many ways I'm grateful for the opportunity, but I wish this "opportunity" had come into my life when I was younger, with more energy, and an endless supply of optimism. This has been a really rough couple of months. I am so looking forward to it all coming to a graceful "landing" so that I can move on to other things. And other things includes a two week trip to India at the end of December!

Here I am on the penultimate day of June, 2009, musing about the end of my first year as Dean, and wondering what ever possessed me to give up my beautiful, wonderful, summers off!

When I was much younger (in college) I drank green beer on Saint Patrick's Day. On St. Pat's Day at P & G's in New Paltz in 1966 I met a man to whom I would later become engaged, and then break off the engagement three years later. Hard to believe that I'm remembering a day 43 years ago, telling stories about a man who is now dead. On a brighter note, since I'm half Irish, I wish everyone a happy St. Pat's-cabbage but no corned beef for us vegetarians!

Yes, it's true my birthday was January 25th. For my 60th Anne and I had a 60-60 party-we held it in early January, sort of between our two birthdays (Anne's birthday is November 2). But 61, now that's another whole story. Lunch at Crabtree's Kittle House in Chappaqua, dinner at the Ocean House in Croton - two of my favorite Westchester restaurants. Can you tell that I basically am eating my way through my - gulp - seventh decade!?! Well, the end of my 61st year, the beginning of my 62nd, consider the alternative. I can't get "will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64" out of my mind. I never thought I'd be 64, and here I am 61. I never thought I'd die, I just thought I wouldn't get old-how's that for cognitive dissonance! Happy birthday fellow Aquarians!

How's that for a pretentious post title! But I am really enjoying being home, which is a rare event lately, and I'm getting so much out of Jennifer Louden's virtual retreat and tomorrow the new America begins. Now if I could just take all of this with me and move into my "regular" life with the calm, confidence and contentment that I've received from four days on virtual retreat (even though Friday was more of a "crash" day). And being somewhat snowed in is great-I don't feel like I have to do anything, go anywhere or even shower until our book group meeting tonight.

almost. An ice storm, with a delayed opening, which is almost as good. When I was a lowly professor, I didn't go back until the week before school started. Now that I'm an exalted dean, I get to go back on January 5th. Lucky me. And I never realized how well I used the time between the semesters. My offices (all four-home, New York, White Plains and Pleasantville) could use some attention, my checkbook hasn't been balanced in months, I'm behind on my reading, I'm only getting to the gym once a week-I could go on but it would sound like I'm complaining. So here's an unusual New Year's resolution-find a work/life balance! I realize now that for me there is no such thing-I'm either working too much or I'm not working at all. And I like it that way. And that's what I really like about being a college professor-intense periods of work, intense periods of play. Happy 2009 everyone! Enjoy the snow day!