Ever since I was little, "in transit" was my favorite place to be. The sense of adventure, of possibility, enchanted and thrilled me. Whenever we took a family trip to Boston via the Red Line on the subway (locally known as the "T"), I'd stare out the train window at the dark tunnel, waiting for the flash of a wall light to show me our true speed.
The fact that we could emerge from the train car into an underground station, and proceed from the depths of the earth up into the middle of the Boston Public Gardens, for example--it enthralled me. Even now, whenever I settle into an airplane seat or grab on to a handrail on a bus, my heart rate speeds up. I'm going somewhere new, it says.
I'm a restless soul, I've learned. While the events of the past few years (both worldwide and within my own family) have settled me considerably, that love of adventure and of being in transit remains a core part of who I am. And rather than fight these characteristics, or bemoan my inability to be like other people I love and admire who can put down deep roots and grow tall and strong in one place like a mighty oak tree, I'm realizing that it's perfectly valid for me to put down roots for a time before moving on.
Maybe I don't have to measure myself by the image of the towering, sheltering oak.
Maybe I can think of myself as the mighty, thrilling train.
All of this is to say that I'm moving to New York City early in June. I accepted a job for next school year teaching middle school history at a school in Brooklyn! I couldn't be more excited. It's time for a new adventure.
We're sad to see you go, but happy to see you continue to pursue your true north. And now we have another friend to see when we drop into NYC!