I’ve begun to pack up my apartment. I have a pile of broken down boxes, a couple of rolls of packaging tape, and rooms full of odds and ends I’ve picked up over the last year-and-a-half that need to be packed away. Because, as with so many things in life, it’s time for another change.

One of the great inevitabilities of life is that change will come for you. This is not a bad thing. It shouldn’t even necessarily be resisted. Change is good, even when it’s painful, because change is the substance that forces us to grow, to mature, to hone the rough edges off ourselves. Change is the thing that tests us to see what we’re made of and causes us to become something new and hopefully something better, healthier, and stronger.

One such change for me has been my job. It’s been two weeks now since I started as a contractor at Indianapolis Public Schools. My official title is Systems Analyst & Front End Developer. What it means is that I get to play with code all day and make the Student Information System (SIS) that IPS uses look and feel better for its end users. So far I have loved the job. It’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do for years. It’s exactly the place I’ve wanted to land for some time now. I’m happier than a pig in poop, as the saying goes. My boss has, so far, had a tough time keeping up with my working pace, and I spent the day yesterday going through various training modules because, for a time, I didn’t have any tasks to work on. The potential to grow as a professional here is vast and unbounded, and I couldn’t be more excited at the future prospects this position will afford me.

Another change that is currently underway I have already mentioned. In the next couple of weeks I will be moving, leaving the apartment that has been my home since June 2018 and shifting into a house in Colfax. It’s a significant change. It’s an opportunity for me to ultimately buy my own place, rather than simply renting, which is a pretty big deal. I’m not entirely happy that I’m moving back to Colfax. It’s not where I see myself living five years from now. But it’s another stepping stone in this journey of life. And it does put me closer to my kids so I can see more of them. It also has a sizable yard, so they can finally go out and play and have room to run — and at their age, that’s never a bad thing.

So changes are afoot, many of them, all at once. I’m excited about these changes. I’ve learned that change is something to be embraced rather than feared. So I’m leaning into change, feeling the winds blow against my face, and walking forward with confidence.

There’s more yet to my journey. Stay tuned. This ride is just starting to get interesting.