Yesterday was my birthday. Tomorrow is the last day of my (amazing) job at SFU. Today therefore seems like a particularly propitious moment for reflection and contemplation. Not a lot of time for either though. (Incidentally, i learned the word propitious from Christopher Hitchens. In the introduction to his Letters to a Young Contrarian, which i’ve been re-reading, he wrote that “It's too much to expect to live in an age that is actually propitious for dissent.”)
If last year was the most turbulent, this year has certainly been the most transformative of my life, so far. I’ve learned a lot, and grown (very painfully) too. My experience facilitating classes and tutoring the learners in the Community Capacity Building certificate program has been crucial to many of the personal changes. It’s been an overwhelming honour to work with such an incredible team of educators, and to be a part of such an inspiring project.
It seems more than a little ironic to say so in a blog, but one of the biggest and most important shifts to take place this year is that i’ve been learning to keep more things to myself. ('Nuff said.)
Anyway, looking back, it was exactly one year ago yesterday that i won first place in my first round of UBC’s inaugural 3MT (Three-Minute Thesis) competition. I realized this morning that i never even mentioned it here, so i’ll embed the video.
I was also interviewed for the Education Studies departmental website a few months later, and so here’s a video of “highlights” from that interview.
And while i’m at it, i might as well post the video that best captures my feelings about having survived the age of 33.
I was glad to see The Muppets acknowledged with an Academy Award this year. The film’s theme of growing up spoke, and sang, to me in a profoundly personal way. The best thing i can say is that, along with growing up a bit this year, i’ve also been reconnected with the sense of wonder and benign fortuity that, prior to a period of precipitous emotional overwhelmitude (which mercifully seems to have passed), had been such a big part of my life for so long.
One of Roy’s favourite words these days is “maybe.” It really can be applied in almost any context. I like hearing it. He wished me happy birthday last night. And when i ask myself: will this year be the best one yet? I think he knows the answer.
