It is 5:11 AM on Friday, May 11th.
In a previous post mentioned that things were changing and that I felt a new chapter of my life has begun. The turning of the page has become even more a reality in the past two days which have extended beyond just how I feel and act but soon in what I do for a living. I’ve accepted a new job and should be starting on June 4th (actual date still being firmed up). I am going back to the airlines and this was one opportunity where all my requirements to change fell into place: I’ll work from home, the salary is better, the company is great, I remain in the travel industry and after I’m established can pretty much dictate my own schedule. I’ll also be dealing with many of the same customers so the transition won’t be too difficult.
But one of my favorite benefits of this new job is that my family and I will be able to fly for free if there is space available. Now before I get too excited we do have a busy schedule on the weekends so it isn’t like we’ll be able to travel a lot but when we do have free time it would be nice to hop on a plane and go visit places we otherwise wouldn’t ever have thought of visiting. Also, this airline has the only direct route from the Bay Area to my hometown which is fantastic.
I accepted the offer a few days ago and haven’t given my notice yet. There are a couple of things I need to get cleaned up to take care of my current customers and work has generally been much busier than usual recently. I’d like to get this all done sometime in the next week because from what I understand you’re not expected (or encouraged?) to do very much once notice is given.
So again, life really is changing here at 40 and I’m embarking on a new adventure. I’m not worried but there is a little anxiety as I’ll need to learn a lot of new things and right now I could do my current job half asleep and/or on autopilot. I think that part of living a good life is change and doing something new. If I had stayed in Ohio I wouldn’t have had all the adventures, wouldn’t have grown as much as I did. In a way changing jobs is something like moving to another country only on a lesser scale. Things will soon begin to move rather quickly and I’m ready for the ride.
I wanted to write a little something about my fondness for May. May is not only my birthday month but was when school was soon to end, better weather arriving and one in which everyone was generally excited back in grade school. These days May passes buy in a blink and I rarely feel ‘excited.’ I’m no longer in school, the weather doesn’t change to dramatically here in the Bay Area and there are none of those fun events such as Field Day back in grade school where we’d all group up into teams and attempt challenges, obstacle courses and play the annual 8th grade softball tournament. But if I take the time to remember how much I appreciate May I can still get a little of that feeling back. At 40 years old the excitement just doesn’t come as easily as it used to during my youth.
My life does change quite a bit in the summer however as the family goes back to Japan and I’m a bachelor for an extended period. It is strange to be the only one in the house without the little ones running around. It is also a very strange feeling to be able to do whatever I’d like, whenever I’d like. Outside of work there is no particular schedule to keep and so I’ll be able to work out more, go to more of the adult classes at karate and maybe even take a road trip or two. I’ve learned that I really should plan this time out beforehand since it does go quickly and I don’t just sit around the house.
Speaking of the house when everyone is gone I like to engage in various projects that I normally don’t think about or have time for when everyone is here. This could be as simple as washing the cars, giving the house a thorough cleaning, or replacing the caulking in the shower. Last year while cleaning the garage I had the idea to turn the shed into an office when I found leftover wood flooring in the garage and it turned out to be a spectacular idea. Last year I also arranged all my Garbage Pail Kids as well as photos into albums, took a trip to Ohio where I cleaned my old toys such as G.I. Joe, Star Wars and He-Man. I organized them and put them all in big plastic bins in order to help preserve them. It was a fun project being out there in the garage while it was raining heavily trying to put all the little pieces of all the individual toys back together.
When I have free time I also like to take a trip back to Ohio where I meet up with old friends, get to go golfing on Wilson and Raymond golf course, go to the Grandview Pool, ride a bicycle around the old neighborhood and school and also ride with my Dad to a couple of the breweries that have popped up all over the place back in Columbus.
Well, the time is now 5:41 AM and I need to get the day started. Today, I’ll have a pretty busy morning at work but would like to get a workout in as it has been more than a week since the last one.
