A couple of months ago, I was feeling a bit down. I had applied for a full time position at one of the colleges that I’ve been working as an adjunct. Spoiler Alert: I didn’t get the job. That’s not necessarily news. I’ve applied for positions before and haven’t gotten them. The reasons that this situation hit me harder than those in the past are that I graduated from the school and I’ve been working there for almost 5 years. I have roots and connections there. Not that I’m asking for a free pass at the job. I had just hoped that any status I built might translate into at least an interview and I didn’t even get that. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Cry me a river. Build a bridge and get over it. I promise, though, that I’m not just whining for the sake of whining. I have three kids. I deal with enough of that to know how annoying it is. I’m just trying to set the scene, so to speak. You see, I’m also a frustrated novelist. Then again, who among the blogging committee isn’t.
I did what I usually do when things aren’t going quite right. I try to convince myself that it doesn’t affect me as much as it actually does, end up unloading all of my baggage onto my wife, and then my mother. I’m not usually looking for anything from these rants like advice or sympathy. Mostly, I’ve just found in my life that expressing my anger or disappointment in this fashion makes me feel better and lets me move on quicker.
Not only was that just as true this time, but I also took my mother’s advice. She said that I should start a blog–and if nothing else, I’m ready to blog–about either the outdoors or travelling with kids. Back when we traveled more, I considered doing something like that. However, we mostly just do the same 3 or 4 trips every year since we camp wherever we go. Since the kids are older, we pack the car like the Griswolds in National Lampoon’s Vacation. However, many of our trips, and my own adventures, involve being outdoors.
And, so, join me for “One Guy Outdoors”!