An Age of Transition

These are troubled times. We are inundated with bad news every day. The economy is in the doldrums, there is sectional, ethnic and religious violence in many different parts of the world, there is the threat of global warming. People are wondering, how long will this continue? Is this a short-term or a long-term situation? Are we in an age of transition? If so, a transition to what? It is difficult to tell.

Yet, hope springs eternal. The majority of Americans believe that the economy will be better next year. We are looking forward to the November elections. Electing a new president is always an act of hope and faith. If nothing else, people are looking forward to their stimulus checks. It is this hopefulness that gives us the power to withstand the troubled times.

Change always brings with it both hope and fear. This tension between hope and fear dominate my personal life as well. In the next month, Gregg and I will be moving to Lancaster, PA. In August, I start a new job – a tenure-track job at Millersville University. It is a new city, a new job and a new apartment in a place where I know no one but Gregg. Yet, a tenure-track job is something I have looked forward to since I started graduate school. It is both exhilarating and frightening. Can I balance research and teaching? Work with a personal life? Friends and family?

This blog is about transitions. Not simply the transition to a tenure-track job or to Lancaster. Life is about transitions. Even in the most settled life, there is always something new. And while transitions can be unsettling, they can also be exciting. And I hope to capture the excitement and tensions of (my) life in this blog.