First Pause - St Joseph, MI

They say you can never go home again. I don't know about that. Home is certainly never the same once you've left for awhile. Like anywhere else, your view of it changes as your perspective is altered by new experiences and new people and places to compare it to. But for me, there are some things that never change. And there are some people who will always be there for you.
I know that my mom is there for me at any time, no matter what I need. It will come with a heavy dose of opinions, most of which run pretty different from mine, but she'll always support me nonetheless.
I grew up in (actually 5 miles outside of) a SMALL farm town near here. Galien isn't much of a town today. The only business from my childhood that's still operating is the Bungalow Inn. That's its picture in the dictionary next to the definition for the phrase "Dive Bar." Hasn't changed much since I was a kid. Same jukebox, same beers on tap, same good burgers (and only $3.50 for a double). They do have some pretty fancy new HD TVs, and they've remodeled the bathroom. Most of the kids I started kindergarten with also graduated from high school with me. And most of them still live pretty close to home. And I know that if I ever needed any one of them, they'd be there for me. I always try to make time to get the gang together when I'm back here, and am always a little sad when it's time to share a last round of hugs and go home.

a unique opportunity

When I graduated from college, I had a job all lined up. For the next 20 years, if I changed jobs it was because I got recruited away. The next step was always just there.
I've always admired people like my friend Rhonda who just picked up and moved somewhere to make sure the next step happened where they wanted to be. She graduated from high school in a very small rural Michigan town, and at the age of 17 headed for California. Her brother was there in the Navy so she had some moral support, but she found a job and created her future. How brave!
I'm feeling a little like that right now. I've always considered myself to be pretty confident, so this is a very new experience. Our niece just graduated from college & is in the position of deciding where she wants to go and what she wants to do. How funny that we are in such a similar stage yet 26 years apart in age! Main difference is that I have way more crap to store &/or move, and way more baggage cluttering my mind as I try to envision the possibilities.

The journey begins

I'm not sure I even want to do this, but this phase is all about new beginnings, so why not begin this.

Here I am in mid-life, perched precariously at the top of the career ladder. I am definitely at the top of one ladder, and not sure where to go next. All I know for sure is that I need to get off of the ladder that's standing in Philadelphia, and make my way to another ladder out west.

So off we go. We found a lovely family to rent our house, and with it in good hands we're packing and storing everything but clothes, bikes and hiking boots, pointing the car westward & heading outa here!

Because contrary to a popular cable TV show, it is NOT always sunny in Philadelphia - but this blog is going to be about moving forward, not grouching backward.