I’m back in my office after a totally different kind of day for me. I cancelled my classes this morning because I had been asked by the president’s office to serve as faculty observer for the University board of trustees meeting. I am to serve in this capacity for the next two years, which means twice a year I drop everything else and act like a fly on a wall.
I truly am honored that the president thought enough of me to invite me to do this. I am not usually the kind of person that people think of for this kind of task. Years ago, I turned my back on administrative duties–being VP for editorial at a publishing house, for one–because I just didn’t see myself in that way. I’m the creative type; that’s the way I started at least. Since that time, my day job has called for me to be up front more than once. And I have gotten used to that, so much so that people see me as the outgoing, friendly, even politician type. But I don’t see myself that way. I can put on those clothes, but when I get home, I am most comfortable doing rather than saying.
The meetings were, meh, OK. I learned some stuff and got to see the final word on other things that have been a long time in planning. But like most meetings, a lot of it was just people talking back and forth, trying to understand each other.
So while students are in a hurry to get through school and get out into the world, I tell them, don’t be in such a big hurry. Life is made up of days when you are just doing what you have to to get by. I wish there could be a reward at the end of each day; it would make some of them more survivable. But in a sense, our reward is going home to a house where we can live the way we want to. At least that’s what I tell myself at this juncture.
All in all, I’d rather be writing.
The Great Adventure 