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To Everything There Is A Season

It's been a solid minute since I've recorded anything on this blog. The fact that I have returned here four years after my last post is a good sign. Much has happened. Changes in presidents. Changes in jobs for both Al and me. Changes in our marital status. A pandemic came and is slowly exiting. The Queen of England has passed.. long live the King. 


So this post is just to catch people up. I've lived fast these last years. I love Oregon, I love my life, and I'm doing some fun stuff. In order to talk about those things, you need to know what's been happening. 

I got a job at a community college in 2019, though I won't say which one on here. I was the AVP and later VP of Student Affairs. For legal reasons, I can't give you the name of that college. You'll figure out why at some point. Al retired from the Army in March of 2018 and got a job with my college running the Vet Center in January of 2021. 


Al and I got married. DURING the pandemic. We had a few people over to the house and 100 people on zoom as witnesses. I loved it. The kids loved it. I think Al loved it too. We loved it because there were so few people present but so many others got to participate. Both Al's extraverted heart and my introverted heart were happy. And my sister Patti was here. 


I'm a step mom now. I like more than I thought I would. I worry about doing a good job because AD (Al's daughter) and AS (Al's son) deserve the very best I can give them. I mean, I have several degrees related to education and psychology, so I should be able to deliver. Mainly, I just want to step parent in a gentle way that is better than what I experienced. I know, low bar. It is what it is. The kids make it easy. They are 10 and 7 now. I'm still not going to put up pictures of them.

Here's the deal though: I'm not at my job any longer. Mind you, I was there for exactly 6 months before the pandemic hit. I built a solid management team in an online environment while simultaneously helping to get all employees and students online yesterday and losing the entirety of my part time workers with no warning. It was egregious and tragic and jarring. Thus began almost 3 years of 60+ hour weeks, online work with no end, and stress, stress, stress. In May, we lost most of the 12 person cabinet in advance of a new college president. Even more left once she got here. 

And then there was me. Suddenly, last month, I was released from my contract that exercised a clause where they could give me a severance and no reason. I was told it wasn't performance. I was offered a positive reference. But I wasn't offered an explanation. I had prepared my teams for this, just in case. 

And now, a month later, I am.. 

Camping, 2022

... Fine. 

I am so much better than I have been for almost three years. Much healthier.

I was so tired. I was beyond overwhelmed for months and years at a time. The environment was challenging with no support. I WAS the support. I just didn't get any. You don't say things like "hey, I'm tired and I need a break" in a position like that. You don't ask for others to help. You're the fire brigade. Just keep the fire hose going. Don't make a big deal of it when someone calls you during your honeymoon in Greece and you end up checking your email several times on that honeymoon. Because nobody else was coming. 

Given these things, I am glad to not be there anymore. It wasn't my choice, but for my part, I have no regrets. Like I said, my management team has their stuffing together. They got this. I have more time. Time to reflect. Time to update my blog. Whew! It's been a long time. Time to pay attention to my health. And time to enjoy my life. My beautiful Oregon life. 

It's been wild, friends. But it's been worth it. 

So, what's the next step? No idea. Right now I'm taking a sabbatical. I'm making up for all that time where I couldn't spend time with my family or I had to give all of my energy to my work. I know a few things I do not want to do. I know a few things that I would like to do. I'll let you know when I land on something solid. When I figure out what I want to be when I grow up. 

To everything there is a season, or so I hear. This is my season of self care. Of care for others. And of planting myself in the Willamette Valley to see what grows when the sun comes out. Until then, I'm content to snuggle into the earth and transform. 


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