**Warning – there’s one piece of adult language in this post. It is topical and serves a purpose.**
I’ve been trying to work Ol’ Blue Eyes into a blog post for the last year and today – on the anniversary of my return to school – it finally came true. You see, there’s a song titled, “It Was A Very Good Year” and plenty of folks have lent their vocal talents to the song but I would argue that Frank Sinatra had the best version. If you’re not familiar with the song (Bad Llama, Bad Llama!), it’s a song about love over the years. It talks about love at 17, at 23, at 35 and finally, “the autumn of my years.”
A year ago. 365 days ago. That’s a long time. And no, I’m not going to break out into “Season’s of Love” from RENT, so you can take your fingers out of your ears, thankyouverymuch. With one year down, I’ve still got about two years. And while that sounds simple enough, it’s can be overwhelming. And fill one with a bit of anxiety. You see, if I said, “Oh yea, two years down. One year to go,”, that’s a whole different argument.
Where I am now is in the middle of the Battle of Minis Tirith and I’m Gandalf strugging to put The Witch King down knowing full well that I’m going to march to the gates of Mordor if I survive the ugly creature stalking towards me. Two years is a long time. It’s 25ish classes. I know. When I started this blog I compared myself to Bilbo Baggins going on an adventure with a bunch of dwarves and taking a flying leap out of the shire.
When you’re looking at the long and winding path through dark caves, high heights and across Dragon’s stoops – you start to feel the weight of what you’re to face. You search for a paper bag to help calm you nerves. It’s like that moment in a movie when a character(s) has a moment to breath and take a break – but the threat or big bad is still out there. You as an audience member know this can’t last for much longer. There’s still a beasty out there that need slaying. There’s a problem needing solving. And the people on screen are the only ones that can face it. And they have to – otherwise this entire hour and a half has been for nothing.
I’m in that moment. And I have to face it. I have to defeat it semester by semester. For Frodo.(1) In memory of The Wayne Family(2). For Uncle Ben(3). Because my wife always dreamed of doing the things but we could never do them before her life was robbed from us(4). I’m the only starship nearby and capable of handling it(5). Without me – time and space will have a hole the size of Belgium in it – and that’s just the beginning of the bad(6), About three buses, a long walk, and a taxi from good(7).
So, it’s off to the races. It’s going to be a welcome feeling returning to the road of discovery and putting my head back in the game. It’s going to be tough and a bit rough – but that’s the way it rolls. You either face it with True Grit (John Wayne & Jeff Bridges style) or you fall to your doom with a half hearted Wilhelm Scream.
I’m getting on my horse. I’m coming out into the clearing. And the challenges of this year are on other end of the a wide field. And they’re taunting me. I’m cocking my gun.And digging my boots in to my horse. And shouting as only John Wayne can, gun raised and thundering towards the enemy,
“Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!”
In case you didn’t get the references…:)
1-Lord of the Rings, 2 – Batman, 3- Spiderman, 4- UP, 5- Star Trek, 6&7 – Doctor Who