Reflections on September, Happiness and Scotland

I once thought that September was the quickest month. With school beginning, it seemed that the month passed faster than any other. October's excitement-filled long wait for Halloween passed slower.

The last two years have proved how fast every month seems to move and how positive change can be. A new routine, place, people, names and experiences are all wonderful occurrences. I think I write "two years" because it's how I've measured my own personal changes: a year in Scotland coupled with personal triumphs and challenges, the discovery of a love for writing, interaction, the natural world and photography, followed by a final year of American college and a post-grad summer, accompanied by experiences, travels, friendships, ideas, books, pieces of writing and personal growth that I would have thought impossible more than two years earlier. I don't know if I would recognize myself today in comparison to a few years ago.

I've recently found myself at the place where it all began: school (in September).

Throughout college, I pondered if an alternative route to teaching in one of America's most disadvantaged regions was for me. When I gave it my all and the offer arrived earlier this year, I chose to decline, for want of something different, yet unsure of what that was. Throughout the summer, I completed somewhere between 15 and 20 interviews and ultimately settled into two retail positions that I loved. After 7 and 9 weeks at each, I accepted an offer at a boarding school near New Hampshire's white mountains and began the transition.

Holderness, New Hampshire

More than a week in to the position, I feel that I've settled exactly where I should be right now. I don't work directly with students, but in a combination of advancement, fundraising, writing and marketing. I've joined student clubs and sports teams to get to know the high school students better and each day has been more positive and exciting than the last. The community of a small school feels familiar, yet new and exciting.

Plymouth, New Hampshire

And as a side note, because I must, please know that this post and future posts reflect my opinion and ideas solely, not that of my employer.

Plymouth, New Hampshire

I've thought often that happiness and fulfillment tend to arrive when purpose and goals and direction are achieved. 

While everything has been a bit crazy this past week, the Scottish referendum cannot be forgotten. It was exciting, nerve-wracking and fascinating to watch Scotland on the international stage. I loved the example of a democracy in action with more than 85% of Scots choosing to vote. In short, I'm pleased with the outcome, I expect and hope the United Kingdom will continue to reassess its role and the power each of the four countries hold in the decades ahead, but continued unification, togetherness and representation for today seems like the best option. In the meantime, I have no doubt that recognition of and celebration of Scottish culture will continue both in Scotland and around the world.

September 2012, St. Andrews, Scotland

October 2012, Perthshire, Scotland

Mornings

I really love photo essays in journalism. Words can bring description, but photojournalism and photography in general brings the visual explanation that words need to work harder at. I don't have the best camera, but I like capturing detail in nature and find the light to be best in morning. Below are a few morning photographs taken in the last two months. All photographed were taken in New Hampshire or Massachusetts. 

A Few Words about Post Offices

I recently accepted a job and moved to a new town a little over an hour northeast from my parents home where I've been living since I graduated in May.

In the midst of moving, planning to move, packing to move, purchasing items to move and continuing with my two jobs in Vermont (I have a little over a week remaining at both), I paid $30 to the federal government for a 3 by 5.5 inch post office box about a mile from my new apartment.

My payment was processed in Washington and I filled out a U.S. postal service application once the fee was processed. I was assigned my box and keys yesterday.

Something about this tiny small town post office was adorable. The office is wood paneled with a 1970s-era faded world map on the wall near the envelopes and stamps for sale.

The rows of boxes in the main lobby are metal and glass with iron hinges and detail. I can't decipher if the boxes are extraordinarily old and historic or only a few decades old but with a pronounced style.

On the subject of mail, I find snail mail to be one of the more exciting parts of life. Since returning from Scotland, I've closely maintained e-mail/skype correspondence with friends from afar as a simple, constant, free and enjoyable way to remain in contact.

A couple of friends and I though, have begun snail-mailing on a regular basis. Every few weeks when I write or receive a letter from England or Korea it brings not only excitement and (often) laughter when reading, but the feeling that the world is accessible and small, which sounds strange as the internet has proved this one thousand times more than snail mail has, yet despite the 5-7 days to England and the 10 days to Korea, the postal service still appears impressive in today's global society.

Today, Korea's arrived.