As I sit here contemplating possible things to ramble about I wonder how I even got doing this gig in the first place. It began nearly two years ago. I must have sent something into the paper. Beyond that, I cannot remember what lead to my little corner of the publishing world.
Life paths are fascinating. It’s fast becoming a serious diversion. There are so many people that we all bump into during our days. Everyone appears so similar, especially in our small community, that it is easy to think everyone arrived at this one point, this one time, in about the same manner. I am beginning to learn and see that there are many different ways to get to a location. None of them have to be the same. Especially if the beginning point is similar.
I thought I had it all figured out in high school. My favorite subject was physics. I also loved math. Together the two provided an amazing view of the world. There was little doubt in my mind about what I was going to do. I entered university into a specialized program. I sweated through four years of science and math courses. I dived into an undergraduate research project investigating the Earth’s magnetic field. It was thoroughly challenging and boring. What I was having fun at was working with high school students. I found doing school presentations very easy. I wondered if entering a Master’s program was the best thing to do. Luckily, I met Dr. Taylor. He was a former U. of A. grad who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990. He asked me what I was going to base my future research on. I surprised myself by answering that I was considering teaching. His support was overwhelming. I enrolled in education, took a side trip to sell cars for a year, and finally found a job in Medicine Hat.
Getting to Vermilion is another story or two. In hindsight, my path to here has not been full of too many detours or corrections. I’ve had the luxury of meeting many more wise people who have learned a lot from their paths. I would like to invite you to share your story, or perhaps just a lesson that a diversion may have given you. Send an email to dcollins@easterndesert.org. Drop something off at the Standard, care of me. I also would like you visit some collections that have been submitted. Visit the website easterndesert.org. Let’s learn something from each other.
