2012 Plans

Growing up, I enjoyed the comfort of stability and predictability.  I lived in the same house from the age of six months to 18 when I went away to college.  During that time, my parents decided that we were going to move to a neighboring city (Virginia Beach).  I was 11 or 12.  I cried my eyes out so much at the dinner table that they just couldn't bring themselves to do it.  I crave consistency.

Christopher, on the other hand, moved from city to city every handful of years.  He is always looking for the next adventure, a new place to live, some new city to explore.  Maybe that explains why I prefer sitting under a tree for hours while he yearns to run the trails.  Or maybe I'm just lazy.

When I graduated from undergrad and then from my M.A. program, I felt tortured by the unknown.  The unknown was terrifying with the economy not doing well.  I knew we wouldn't be homeless, but I didn't know if or how we could ever possibly settle into careers.  It all worked out.  And I guess I have been clutching hold of that, not wanting to take any chances, because it was so hard to come by and followed so much uncertainty.

I had a lot of plans for this year.  These plans included consistency, the same patterns, but expanded.  We hoped to drive down south for a late winter/early spring vacation.  Not happening.  Then we planned to go to Tybee Island, but then compromised with North Carolina instead to lessen the drive.  I don't think we will be vacationing this summer.  I had plans for our degree programs--I really hope those don't change.  I had career goals in mind.  I had home projects to do.  Those have all shifted.  And we planned to try to have another baby--that could happen, but I think we are pushing that back as well.

I'm not complaining here.  I'm not trying to whine.  These change in plans aren't a bad thing.  They're just different.  They're not "more of the same" as I had hoped, but instead might be more of a very old same that I have not known for many years, yet with a new twist.  It is hard to switch gears, so to say, and I don't know how much will work out with this new plan or how much we will step back to the previous one.  Still, I'm hopeful and excited.