Happy New Year! It’s the day after Labour Day and the start of new beginnings.  This time of year means more about new starts to me than January 1, even though it’s been almost thirty years since I went to school.  I suppose having kids that still go to school helps keep that feeling going…

My son is heading off to Thunder Bay for Lakehead University.  It’s about 1,400 kilometers (869miles) away.  His older sister was only an hour drive away when she started school, so her transition to university wasn’t too difficult – for us, her parents.   We could see her any time we wanted or she wanted.  We’ll probably only see Keaton twice before he is back home in April.

His sister, Caileigh, not wanting to be outdone, will be heading to Vietnam for a work placement in a few days.  That’s approximately 12,849 kilometers (7,984 miles) away.  Hai Carumba.  I won’t be seeing her until April.  That’s a long time…

And it puts a bit of pressure on their younger sister, Tara.  Deb and I will fighting over who gets to hang out with her.

It was about this time last year that I was preparing to embark on unemployment-hood.  And now that I’m closing in on my anniversary, I’m wondering what this next season will bring.

I haven’t exactly been super aggressive in my job search.  There have been a lot of things that I wanted to do like take some classes and workshops and spend time with the family.  Things that I couldn’t always do while at work.

But that old bank account is starting to look sparse…

So, I guess it’s time to really think about what I want to be when I grow up.  I came across a quote from George Burns recently: “It’s better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.”

For the last few years, I was pretty good at doing something I hated.  Now, the focus is to find something I love that can pay the bills.

Happy New Beginnings Everyone!

Peter Gruner