Being among several people in Herrang who are doing really interesting, creative things with their lives has got my brain spinning.
Over the past six months or so, I've been thinking about a major life shift. As I scheme about this next phase of my life, this is a good time to think about how I might want to re-invent myself.
I've had a wide variety of identities and roles that I've played, some more comfortably and successfully than others: slam poet, Christian evangelist, street theater performer, immigrant advocate, tech activist, virtual event producer, b-boy, lindy hopper, educator, web projects manager, grant administrator, communications director, conference organizer, social worker, police dispatcher, Quaker and probably some others that are best forgotten.
What ones do I want to carry with me to my next "assignment"? What ones do I leave behind? What new ones do I want to try out?
Ideally I'd like some time to figure all this out. But the practicalities of the current economy mean that I can't just float around for months of finding my new self.
I've mostly stumbled onto the different jobs and roles that I've played, through a blend of happenstance and personal connections. I certainly didn't plan on being an assistant director at a youth development non-profit or hosting a bi-monthly internet talk show on swing dancing. Stuff happens, and you adapt.
But I think now I have the experience and the talent that I can be a bit more intentional about this next big thing. If I want to make my life more centered around my dancing, I think I can find a way to do that. If I want to do more professional writing, I imagine there might be a path forward there. Or if I want to try something totally different, now is as good a time as any.
