Wednesday is my day to teach class at the clinic. Sometimes it is a busy day with full waiting rooms, multiple special formulas to deal with, angry clients, and topics of conversations that bring up all the crazy (and sometimes dangerous) things people do with and for their children. Other days are slow and I'm stuck lecturing on the evils of drinking a gallon of juice a day to three or four people in a room and wishing time would move a little faster so I could shuffle them out of the room.
This last Wednesday was one of those slow class days. My last class of the morning had just ended and I decided to participate in my clinic's favorite "quiet clinic time" game: talking. This particular day I had a question for a visiting program director who was working at our clinic, covering for a co-worker on leave. We finished discussing my question, then moved on to other random topics that really had nothing to do with anything. Towards the end of her time together, she asked me a question I've grown used to: Why did you move here? The simple answer is, I found a job here. Straight out of college I found a job and there was no way I was turning down full-time employment with a decent salary and more benefits than I'd find anywhere else in my field with my "level of experience." (aka I just graduated and I spent all my time in college working at a bakery!)
She dug a little deeper than most: Why did you want to move here though? Why did you move down here with no family, no friends, no roommate? She took me a little by surprise. Most people moved on to different topics when I said I moved here for work. I had to think for a second, because I didn't have an answer. After two seconds of stalling, I answered her with the only thing I could think of: Because I could. Why not? I could only move up in life! (A sarcastically funny statement born from the fact that I lived in the basement of my house for the last five years I lived at home. Literally the only move I could make was moving "up" from the basement level of the house! )
In all honesty, that is the entire reason I wanted to move to Charleston, and why I specifically looked for jobs here. Because I wanted to and because I could. Sure, I visited the area with my family. For all of two and a half days. One and a half of which were spent looking at Parris Island watching Marines explain the function and purpose of their training. So after that I plotted and planned to get down here. Everything from taking an internship at a local teaching hospital to getting a job and working for a few months before starting an entirely different course of study at a local college. Basically, anything that would get me where I wanted to go. But I had never visited the city, never did much research into the area, never made much effort to get an "in" anywhere down here for anything I wanted to do. Then I saw the job posting. Then I sent in my resume. Then I went down for an interview. Then I moved. Because I could.
Some people have a defining life goal. They want to be teachers so they can help educate children and teach them about the world. They want to be doctors so they can help heal the sick. Researchers so they can cure terrible diseases and answer the question, "Why." That is amazing. I sometimes wish I had a specific dream to pursue, some specific goal to strive for during my education and career. Perhaps I'll find a driving force in my life somewhere down the road, but at this point I am quite happy with my "because I can" direction. I already have my next "because I can" idea that I think might be fun. Whether or not it works out remains to be seen.
I know that the entire time I live here, no matter how long it lasts, is going to be a great experience. Too many little details have worked out too well for this to be just random fate. I am here for a specific reason, I just don't know what it is. Yet! It could be just so I can say I did something, "Just because I could!"
Well, it is WELL past bedtime and time for me to get some shut eye before I have to get up and go to the early service tomorrow, or today, since it's now after midnight. Since everyone in their right mind will be reading this on or after Sunday morning, I hope you had a great night's sleep and had sweet dreams about sunshine and warmth!
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