One thing has become apparent to me in the last month or two...I don't think that I'm in Kansas anymore! That's right folks...watch out for falling houses, wicked witches, those pesky Munchkins and their lollipop guild. I have officially become a citizen of Oz, and I'm starting to get used to it.
Now you might be thinking "Wow, in the last month, Rob has gone off his rocker." There may be some truth to that, but mostly, I think that I have to come to terms with some very crucial facts that will require deep understanding in order for me to escape this next year with my sanity in tact.
Time travels waaaaay faster when you're working. I feel as though I just began work, yet 4 months have flown by. Summer is gone! Now everyone else is going back to school...normally, I would be filled with a feeling of impending change...mixed with angst and excitement! But instead, this will be the first September that I have not gone back to school since I was 3 years old. Why am I feeling a little bit sad about this? It's just school...that thing that I complain about non-stop when I'm attending it. Maybe it's because my girlfriend's going back and I'm not. Or maybe it's because I want my sleep-ins and my lazy-fun school life back!
Let me say for the record that I quite like following the yellow brick road. I get a paycheque every other week, a gym to work out in, a Tim Horton's, and lots of other little added bonuses. Unfortunately, I'm not used to this daily/weekly routine thing that has started to build up around me. It seems that every day follows the same sort of pattern. Get up, go to work, break for coffee around 10, break for lunch around 12:45, work some more, break for tea around 2:30, go home around 5:30. Over and over again. Now, I'm not complaining here...I enjoy routine. It's quite comforting actually. Being a member of the Retchless family has sorta precluded me from ever having a routine before (those of you who know my family should understand), so it's refreshing. My point is that, suddenly, my life has been altered, and adjustments need to be made in order to adapt successfully. Let's call these adjustments the 5 'A's.
Air: I need to spend more time outside. Most of my time is spent in an air conditioned environment. I don't spend nearly enough time enjoying the beautiful world on the other side of the window.
Attitude: Time to approach life with a little more vim and vigor. It can be quite easy to slide into a lazy and miserable mindset. Since, we only live once, as far as we know, the goal should be to spend as much of that "alive" time being as positive as possible.
Achievement: Doesn't it feel great when you know you've achieved something? Anything really. I need to make more effort to achieve things! It could be a goal that I set for myself, or one that was set for me by someone else. Maybe an award for something, or a successful event that I was involved in.
Action: It's so easy to procrastinate when there are no firm deadlines in place. You're looking at the self-proclaimed King of the Last Minute. When I get something that has to get done, I'm gonna start taking action immediately...or at least get the task started so that it's easier to jump into it later.
Appreciation: It feels good to let other people know that you appreciate what they're doing. Depending on my mood, I can range from being very appreciative to very disparaging (stemming from my competitive nature, trying to get the one-up). If I can make others feel like they are appreciated, then my relationships will be more positive and help me out with my "attitude" bullet above. It'll also help them out with their "attitude" bullet, if they have one ;)
I think I've said enough. "I'm off to see the wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!" And just think, in 12 more months, I'll be clicking my heels (I don't own any ruby slippers though, I hope running shoes will do) and I'll be back at school, finishing up my degree. So, I'm not gonna rush this. I've got an amazing experience on my hands here, and with the help of my 5 'A's, this will be a period of my life that I'll look back on with a smile for years to come.
