Three Months

I’ve been here 3 months today, and tomorrow I start my job. Those two facts led me to some reflecting, which I’ll share with you.

My first 3 months in China were the longest 3 months of my life, and the 4th one was only faster because I was leaving at the end of it. I had doubts beginning in my first 2 weeks there about why I was there and wondering if staying or leaving was the right thing to do. My heart was never at peace there. That’s not to say that my heart was instantly at peace with the decision to go home either. I struggled for a long time, even after getting settled back in there, with whether that had been the right move. That’s not a struggle I talked about much, because I wasn’t sure how to convey it. I can now, with a calm assurance, say that leaving was the right thing.

And then there are the 3 months I’ve been here in Portland. Really? I live in Portland? Yes, yes I do. When I think of this ridiculous job hunt, 3 months seems long. But in general, time has flown. There have been days of endless boredom, but I can’t believe I have already been here 3 months! There were moments of complete break downs about the job hunt, and I am definitely breathing easier now that I have a job, but all along I’ve felt good about being here. I never doubted the decision to come; not once have I thought that this was a mistake. My heart has been at peace about being here, from the first morning I woke up here.

Speaking of days of endless boredom during my 3 months of unemployment: I have read 17 books. That makes 24 for the year. Last year I had a goal to read 30 books in one year, which I just barely did. This year I had no goal but I will probably pass last year’s number in just over the first half of the year. I’ve also seen 30 movies this year (not including TV shows I watch on DVD), 22 of which were watched during unemployment. I suspect that my movie watching and book reading will slow down some once I am into the routine of being a productive member of society again. This is good. I will enjoy what movie watching and book reading I do more because my life will be structured once again. I like a little structure!

That’s really as far as my reflecting went. I guess I was just thinking about how fast time has gone here. Is the year going by oh so quickly for you too? And it’s not likely to slow down now, since pretty soon I’ll actually have things to do with my day! Yippee!!