Is it Time to Reinvent Yourself?

Is it time to reinvent yourself? I've done that several times before in my life. When I graduated from college, the USA was at war with Iraq and we had a President Bush in office. It was very hard to find a job at that time. Years later, when I left my job at the county chemical health division, I also left the state for a while. I wasn't very happy on the East Coast, so I came back to Minnesota. It was very hard to find a job ... as we were once again at war with Iraq, and there was yet another President Bush in office. Now, I feel bad for the new graduates. Because the job market is not good once again. Each time this happened, I had to reinvent myself. Now, it may be time to do that again. I have moved from horticulture, to library, to office administration, to technology. Each move helped me to navigate my career in the midst of what was happening socially and politically at the time. Perhaps the hardest was when I came back from Providence, and had to literally start over. After moving into my parents' basement, I began writing my first novel while also looking for jobs. I spent nearly every afternoon in the wildlife refuge, in all weather, and usually off trail. It was not uncommon for me to return and have to remove 50 wood ticks. But on one of these adventures, when I watched as two Bald Eagles flew directly at me and soared over my head close enough so that I could hear the wind in their wing feathers, I realized how blessed I really was. I've told this story before, and it even appears in one of my novels, but it was at that point that everything changed for me. I re-entered the job market, worked my way back up, bought a new home, met my wife, and now I have a wonderful son. If I have to do this again, I know that I can. I know that it won't be easy. But the best things in life take some effort. Covid-19 will cause some things to fail. And out of that dust, new things will grow. Don't be afraid to try the new things.