Reading, Writing and Teaching

Lately, I've been ruminating on three things - reading, writing and teaching.  It sounds like the old schoolhouse rhyme, but it's not.  It's more my thought processes on these various activities that have me in a pondering mood.

Reading.  I've been a reader from way back.  My Mom taught me to be a veracious reader at a young age, and I spent my summers checking out as many books as I could and soaking them in like water to a sponge.  In my pre-teen years, I could read as many as five books at one time.  As I got into high school, reading became more for homework than pleasure, and my desire waned.  Then came college, which also included tons of hours reading about things I was studying, not escapes into other's stories.  In 2009, I joined a book club in hopes to regain my passion for reading and it worked.  Then I went back to school and there was barely enough time to read my book for club, aside from anything else.  I've been out of school since last summer and my reading passion has grown.  I can't get enough of it.  So far I've read 12 books this year, almost halfway to my year goal of 25.  Any time I have down time, my nose wants to be in a book.  

Writing.  Last month, I celebrated my eleventh year blogging.  Wow.  That's longer than any dating relationship I've ever had and longer than most of the jobs I've held.  I've been a fierce writer cranking out posts left and right, and then a not so fierce writer struggling to post an article.  I've kept a goal of at least two blogposts per month, so I feel accomplished.  This leads me to my real reason for ruminating on writing.  I'm back to the thought of whether I should write a book.  My friend, Paige, and I have no less than 4 or 5 ideas of books we'd like to author together, so once she gets her tenure, that is on.  But, as I've participated in a few book launch teams lately, the fire is back to write a book.  Most of the authors I'm helping launch started out as bloggers.  My mind reels on how to even begin.  I have lots of ideas, but no clear path to get there, and like Mr. Holland's Opus, life and other ministry takes priority.  Nonetheless, it is occupying my head space right now.  

Teaching.  Part of the motivation of getting my MBA was to have the ability to do some adjunct teaching someday.  Of late, this has also been taking up a lot of my head space.  I'm far from ready to begin the process of seeing what's out there, but to be ready, I need to have a CV prepared so if and when the right teaching position pops up I can apply.  I love my current job, but I've always wanted to do this on a part-time basis to see if I even like it.  Given the first two items - specifically writing - I can't do both.  Herein lies the conundrum.  

All my life I've always had bigger goals than I had time or resources, but I'm so Type A, it's hard to not act on some of these dreams.  At this posting, I'm contemplating doing what I did when I was praying about getting my MBA...I decided to take some steps and see if doors opened, and if they did, that was the way I would go.  My MBA decision was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I'm hoping the same outcome as I ponder these wonderful opportunities all around me.