Time for a Transition?

It's so funny - while most people probably see the start of the calendar year (January) as a time for making changes, resolutions and the end of one phase of your life and the start of another, for me January is almost just another month. For me, the real transition period is around July, August and September. This is partly borne of a lingering being-in-school mentality (the new academic year starts between August and September). Also in the northern hemisphere, this period marks a big transition from hot weather to cold.

Around this time, I start to get fidgety and think about what I have done with the last year of my life and what I intend to do with the one that lies ahead. I start to think about going back to school or changing jobs or moving countries. It was about this time last year that I started to make the move back home from the States (I moved back in August). I am amazed that a year can go by so quickly. It's great that time has flown by - it must mean that I'm having a good time. It's also very scary that so much time can zip by so quickly.

Now, I'm thinking about what lies ahead. I really do want to go back to school. I've been wanting this for a long time and every summer I think seriously about whether this should be the year to do it or not. I know quite a few people going back for graduate degrees and I envy them their new adventure. I don't know. How do you plan for all the things that you want to do in your life and fit them all in? I've done an incredible amount this year and am happy about that, and I know that there's no perfect time for most things. You just have to make the decision and go.