Rewind...One Year

Now that I've officially lived in Chicagoland for one year (as of today) I reflect on the things I know now that I didn't know last May:

-How to simultaneously drive 80 mph in weaving traffic, teleconference in to work, "attend a meeting" from the road, eat a PowerBar, fiddle with the radio, and NOT DIE.

-That Central Standard Time (CST) really sucks. On the cloudiest, gray days of late December and early January, it was dark outside by 3:30. On the SUNNY days, it was dark at 4pm. Wait, sunny days? Oh yeah, we didn't have any of those.

-That Central Standard Time (CST) is brilliant. On the sunniest days in the middle of summer, it is light outside by 5:30 a.m. It's easy to leap out of bed when the sunshine beckons from beyond the curtains. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm running late, so I bound out of bed even faster.

-That I really, really, really hate snow. I admit it, I was a princess before I moved to Chicagoland in this solo gig. Jack always gave me the garage, always cleaned off his own car, and I only had to drive 2.874 miles to work every day. This past year, I scraped off my own car more than I care to remember, ruined more than one pair of dress shoes by doing the aforementioned in my heels, and suffered through 18 commutes during which I actually thought I was going to lose control of my car and be lost forever in a ditch off I-94...

...And I had very little of the "lake-effect" variety over here, too!

-That work is work. Work will always be stressful. Life, however, does not have to be. More important, is to differentiate between the two.

-That it's always about survival of the fittest. Especially when you're trying to be a hospital administrator. Dog-eat-dog is an understatement. When I'm feeling down, overwhelmed, or just not sure of something, I need to be decisive, innovative, and full of positive initiative...

...And then I must back those sentiments with a lot of caffeine.

-That I can survive in a room full of seasoned (male) executives and speak my mind coherently when discussing healthcare policy, the identity of Catholic hospitals, and capital expenditures.

-That I can live alone in Chicagoland for a year, without training wheels, a live-in chef, or personal shopper and still survive...

...Better yet, so can Jack!

-This past year in Chicagoland taught me a whole bunch about myself, my ambitions, my values, and, of course, my marriage. We made it a year with this goofy distance marriage! The year apart made us both function independently and in that terrifying way that married individuals can lose their sense of selves in marriage, we've both been able to reach toward our dreams while still supporting each other from afar.

I wouldn't recommend it, but it's possible. It's even possible to grow while you're in the midst of it all.

While things are becoming more concrete for me (i.e., I landed my ideal job in Chicago), things are still up in the air everywhere else...Jack's job, Jack's education, selling the house, our "permanent" living arrangement, and where we will ultimately move within Chicagoland. While my job-related uncertainties will settle down, I have a feeling the rest will be tumultuous for a while.

Don't you just love the word "tumultuous?" It sounds exciting!

Remind me of this sentiment when I end up in a straitjacket somewhere, sipping mocha-flavored Ensure through a squiggly straw!