Pundits love to judge a president by their first 100 days in office: what went well, where they sucked, where they could get better with time. The unbelievable speed at which 100 days can go by is often overlooked by the public at large—after all, 100 is a big number. Surely that is a lot of time to
get.
shit.
done.
It has been 180 days—6 months, give or take—since I gutted my own life circumstances and uprooted from one enchanting state to another better known for BBQ chicken pizza. By some measures, the time often feels like far less. In other ways of reckoning, much has happened since then.
There are many threads left knotted or loose; I’m excellent at putting off the details until they come knocking (oh hai, car registration). But new things have taken root from professional to personal to athletic. It is these things, in their entirety rather than their specifics, that I sought. But I only knew to seek those things very recently, and once I did I had calm and steady support from those that matter to me.
Family reached out, friends let me know they were available, and friends-of-friends even just gave an occasional slow nod to say, “I hear you. This thing you’re doing is bold and probably going to be OK.”
Those individuals know who they are, but I cannot stress enough that when your personal poo hits the spinning blades, the ones who hold out an umbrella might be surprising. Long time confidants could be busy doing their own thing, while an aquaintence with a previously-unknown-to-you kindred story might lift their hand to give you a tug (or a high-five).
Even though it’s easy to fixate on the people you expected would help but did not, that way leads to wasted time in this one life. The ones temporarily unavailable may have no malice, just issues of their own you’ll only know about years down the road, if ever.
It is the “bonus” folks who showed unexpected flashes of solidarity – those are the ones to simply marvel at, thank, and appreciate. You now have new members in your tribe: the tribe of your life’s story that weaves your threads together with theirs and paints a grand picture of adventures amongst placid days.
Day 181. On on.
