I love you but I’ve chosen Texas

I have lived my life largely on the move.

As a Navy brat, my family moved often. Even when we didn’t, the neighborhood around me would change constantly. Friendships, communities, situations, “home” were terms of constant flux.

So when it came to my own life, constantly moving sort of felt normal. Looking at the patterns of things, lives of motion seem to stay in motion. If a job presented itself across the world, I’d jump after it. I’d stay light and mobile, able to cut ties and shift life, sometimes radically, at a few days notice. Living that way would lead to listening and seeing future sudden changes in course.

I leapt at my four-year college after finishing up at community, a move that meant going to a religious school and a major shift in lifestyle. I then leapt at starting up a company with some friends in Michigan, living the uncertain startup life. I then leapt at enlisting in the Army (walked into the recruiter’s office and was in basic training in three weeks). I nearly became an officer. I nearly joined the Air Force. I nearly became a chaplain. I leapt at a job that transitioned me out of uniform at into Texas. I leapt at a job with another startup in North Carolina, surprising my Texas family. Then I leapt jobless back to Texas a year later.

Always seeing the next jump and taking it, sort of like hopping across a river on the tops of hidden shaky rocks.

This last move to Texas was different, though. Normally I would see job first, then location, but this time I had done the opposite. I had picked San Antonio first and now was looking for a job. It was a little strange.

However, the normal “life of motion” machinations were still going on. I’d still see jobs posted here and there–jobs I could get, but jobs that would mean moving.

This week, in fact, I had received a couple of solid leads on work. One might have landed me in a U.S. embassy on the other side of the world in just a few weeks if I’d have acted on it. The other could have led me back to the D.C. area, which I did miss, come to think of it…

…But did I really want to leap after another adventure already?

Nope. I didn’t. I hardly call myself “old” but after a few decades of being in flux, the idea of a more rooted life seemed pretty awesome. I had friends here, a few church families, the chance to invest in people’s lives….

The job thing here would work itself out eventually. While these two jobs and others that I would see pop up on sites and news feeds would be cool, they weren’t here. And, call me crazy, here is where I’d like to be.

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