Looking Forward

Parable of the Sower, a novel by Octavia Butler whose life was cut short, begins:

All that you touch

You Change.

All that you change

Changes you.

The only lasting truth

Is Change.

God

Is Change.

There is so much truth in fiction. Change is coming this year. I can feel it. This is the quiet before the storm; like I am standing on the shore and the water is still and calm. Yet off in the horizon I can see the storm and it is sliding towards me, inexorably.

I am having difficulty planning my goals for the year. I feel some huge change is coming that will likely impact any plans I make, any goals I set. I suppose this is always possible but the feeling has always been more in the background, easier to ignore. And so I have planned only the coming months. The next few months are clear.

I begin teaching a 10 week class (General Genetics) on January 3rd. I teach as overload, on top of my normal job duties of running my laboratory, mentoring a graduate student, & serving as the acting director of my research institute. This is a new class for me so there are many lectures (36) and assignments (10 home works, 4 exams) to prepare. This commitment will add about 3 to 4 hours a day to my week. I’ve spent my holiday outlining the class and getting the first lectures and assignments ready.

I’ve also registered for the Body for Lifers Challenge to win a cruise. The official challenge runs from January 1 to March 11. It just about perfectly overlaps with the class I am teaching. When my schedule is especially full, I need a set routine. This will help. And of course there is the chance of winning a cruise for two to the Caribbean. One of the stops is in the US Virgin Islands. My uncle lives in St. Croix and it would be terrific to see him. My goals for that challenge will be outlined in a separate post.

Beyond March? So many things are uncertain. My husband takes the Bar Exam at the end of February. Will he find employment here in CO or out of state? Do we have a move to plan for? I’m involved in a Biotech start-up, Beacon Biotechnology. Will we successfully fund this company this spring? Will I start spending more time in Biotech and less in academia? Federal funding for academic research is incredibly rare these days. Will this impact the future of my research institute? So many unknowns. All I know is that change is coming.