mychai's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The process is starting. Well, it's semi-official. I submitted my two-week notice of resignation at work. This whole time thing is just going so fast. Just two weeks ago -- so it seems -- I arrived in Columbia with my two-door car packed to a point where it was almost dragging on the ground. I had only $515 in my wallet, and I had no guarantee of finding a place to stay or getting a job. Did I ever mention that I basically moved up here because of a girl? Well, it's the truth... kinda. As most of you already know, I grew up in a small town in Mississippi called Picayune. It was a decent enough town to grow up in. I had a fantastic best friend who was in many, many ways just like me. I had pretty girlfriends. And my folks gave me the best gift any parent could give: freedom. When I hit 18, though, I felt like you do when you hold your breath for too long. My muscles literally felt restless. I felt like all I needed -- I craved -- fresh air. New places. A new adventure. So, when some friends from Missouri came down for a visit, and a very beautiful girl was with them that I'd never met, it was all the excuse I needed to pack up my car and head north. Unfortunately, when I got here, I was so wrapped up in making enough money to pay for rent and surviving that I didn't get to spend time with said beautiful girl. It is one of my regrets living here, but hey... all's well that ends well. She's happily married now, and, well, I'm happily single. But within a few months, I had found another beautiful girl. I fell in love. We moved in together, got a dog, had a nice home. She got squashed by a schoolbus. Hard times ensued. But I survived. I am now a much better person. I eventually got re-established and back into the groove of life. The depression I had suffered with for seven or eight years eventually lifted. I started back at school, and I got to a point in school where I realized that it was about time I start looking for a new career. Not many English majors are making a kajillion bucks. I didn't really want to teach. Mostly what I want to do is be a freelance editor, which one can do pretty much in addition to any job. I was at work one day. The idea that a new career needed to be somewhere on my horizon had been in my head for a while. And -- just like many previous decisions I have made in my life -- the thought popped into my head that I was to join the Air Force. Some may call this an act of God. I wouldn't really disagree, either. Every time an idea had popped into my head like that and I've acted on it, there has been nothing but good resulting from it. So, basically, I decided on the spot that I would join the Air Force. This was March of last year. Wow. Has it been that long? I was overweight by quite a bit. I had a lot of processing to do, eye exams, etc. That whole process was a major headache. But it was part of the journey. I'm glad I went through it. It makes a fantastic story. That is pretty much what my Columbia adventure has been: a five-year journey. I never intended it to be a destination, for you never learn anything at the destination. The whole adventure is the journey. I guess all of this process of picking up my home for the past five years is making me a tad bit philosophical and emotional. I love my home. I love my town. But I know I must leave. It's like a really good book coming to an end. You end up reading the last few pages really slowly just to savor the last few moments together. Or maybe I'm the only one who does that. I dunno. Turning in my two-week notice today just made me feel like I've officially started the process of leaving. I'm kinda sad. But I'm excited. A little anxious. Definitely sentimental. It was one thing leaving the town where I was raised. But I'm finding that it is a different thing leaving the town where I grew up. 11:27 p.m. - Mon., Feb. 24, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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