reinvention

   How many times have you heard about someone reinventing themselves? Madonna has supposedly done this many times. I am not sure that posing nude for the camera alongside the road or marrying a Brit or kissing Brittney on stage is really reinvention, but it seems to work for her. Nixon reinvented himself after resigning the Presidency and being exiled to California (could be worse). He emerged as a 'statesman' who gave advice to a new generation of politicians. Jimmy Carter didn't really reinvent himself, but he started living the life he was best fit for, doing humanitarian work, writing books and winning the Nobel prize. Maybe that is more an example of redemption, not reinvention. And, I don't have enough time to talk about Robert Downey Jr., who reinvented and redeemed himself many times.

   These famous people became more famous by this reinvention.  But there are countless millions who reinvent themselves every day, or made decisions to take another path, or find another way. We all know of someone who has done this, and probably can list failures and successes for each. Life is a crap shot. We make it up as we go along. Man plans, God laughs.

   Recently I observed my 18th anniversary of moving to the midwest. I was born here, but when I was 7, my parents moved to California, in pursuit of a better life and snow free winters. I grew up in California, went to school there, had my first jobs there, got married, had kids, bought a house, had a life. In the early nineties the house was sold, the jobs were quit, the stuff and kids were packed up and we headed to Minnesota. It took 5 days to make the trip, along the way we almost lost everything in the truck, but in early June we arrived. No job, no place to live, no fricking idea what to do next. God wasn't laughing, he was hysterical. Probably to tears.

   So it was time to reinvent myself. At age 35 I finally realized, admitted to myself, that I needed a career. I had avoided that for my whole life, scoffed at those who went to college and got degrees, thinking they thought they were better than me. It was time, I decided, to become better than me. I went to school. Three years of 2 nights a week, summers included, and I earned the degree. By then I was firmly entrenched in the career, working on those pesky computers so others can do their jobs. In addition to the degree, I earned some professional certifications. It seems I was always going to school. If I wasn't in school, I was working. Or sleeping. I changed jobs too, making the move 4 times in 10 years. The best way to move up is to move around. Working for the government is not very exciting, sometimes not challenging. Contrary to popular belief, those who work for the government are not overpaid and underworked. We are pretty much the same as those who work in the private sector, except our salaries are published in the local paper. But back to reinvention.

   My career path has not been smooth, or linear. I was not one of those who knew what I was going to do with my life since age 7. I had to compete with people younger than I, so I worked harder, longer than most. I was hungry, figuratively and literally. And, I had mouths to feed. Later, I was given the opportunity to teach part time at a local college. Wow, if my high school classmates could see me now. If my dad could see me now. This reinvention was not by design, or part of some grand plan. Things just happened. Some hard work, lots of long days, and a bit of luck. No Nobel prizes, no advising Presidents, no posing nude along the highway. Just living a life.

   This is life. We make it up as we go along. We improvise, we adapt, we overcome. We reinvent, or plan, or go to class, or move. Or none of the above.

   A long time ago, some friends of mine had twin boys, plus an older son. Their house was always in a state of chaos. I asked the dad, a very reasonable, sane person, how they coped with this chaos, this mob rule. Without missing a beat he told me, "...we learned to surf".

Do yourself a favor. Head to the beach. You never know what the tide will bring in, it might be a sail.