'Tis the Season

It’s time to come clean. For the past 3 weeks I’ve been working at a law office in Kankakee. I’ve been doing legal work, but it’s essentially an internship until December 30. On that date, my fate will be decided – they’ll let me know if the position will become permanent, at which time I’ll either get a year-long offer or I’ll be back out on the street. Am I nervous? Yeah, a bit, but I’ve never been the sort of person who backs away from this kind of challenge. Other kinds of challenges, sure, but I’d like to think I can hang with the best of them at slugging it out in the job market.

Heck, before this I was waiting tables in Champaign, which was no picnic, but you’ve gotta pay the bills somehow.

This is the time of year that many people find themselves reflecting. What’s important to me? What kind of life am I trying to live, and how can I make that happen? It’s also the time of year to think about family, and I’m very grateful for mine. Throughout this somewhat awkward job situation they’ve been nothing but comforting and supportive, and there’s really no replacement for that. I’m within spitting distance of one of the biggest changes in my life so far, and I’m calm enough to reflect on it without setting my crotch on fire.  Whew.

Here’s a song I wrote about 8 months ago that sort of captures that reflective, seasonal sentiment. You’ll have to excuse the chorus if it reminds you too much of a certain movie from the mid-80’s and its mantra of self-determinism. I suppose that’s just the natural product of my upbringing. But the idea is to be thankful for what you have, and to keep pushing forward. I might add that at the time I wrote it, it was Kyle’s favorite. So this one’s for Kyle.

Old Man Benjamin - Running Gin by seamonsters