Why I'm here to stay (for now)

"Only for now! Your hair! Is only for now. Glenn Beck! Is only for now!
Don't stress, relax, let life roll off your back, 'cause everything in life is only for now"

For now ~ Avenue Q

If any one song has become my motto over the past four years, it's this one. Everything, including my students, the secretaries, my commute, our town, the crazy bible-beaters who surround us every day, is only for now.

So how long is this "for now"? Right now, we don't really know. It depends on a lot of factors, all of which are far too boring to share, but the ballpark year for departure from the south is 2015. Twenty Fifteen, people. That's four more years here. Four more years of commuting 3,5 hours to work. Four more years of dealing with students who have yet to grasp the difference between "no" and "know". Four more years of no cussing, no alcohol on Sunday, and way too many cockroaches.
And if we're lucky it might turn into five.

People often ask me what keeps me here. Aside from the obvious answer, such as, oh, love, marriage, "for better or worse", you know, little commitments like that, there are several surprising reasons for my staying around.

First, it's not Oklahoma. I'm sorry to all the Oklahomans out there, but Tinker AFB is a real possibility, and, again, my apologies, but unless I can land a job at OU, that's just not happening. I'm sure Oklahoma has a ton of redeeming features, but it is a) still part of the bible belt, but b) filled with Mennonites as well, and c) has no hills or trees, but yet d) has a kick-butt winter, and e) is even further away from any place interesting than middle Georgia. So, yes, major points for Georgia there

Second, I get to complain a lot without getting a lot of flak over it. It's great. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I can just blame the inattentive drivers, the really large people in little electric chairs blocking the aisles, church-traffic, the bookstore that carries mainly bibles, or any other of the one thousand things that are typical to this region, without having to explain myself at all. It's great. No one ever tells me that I'm being ridiculous, or exaggerating, because the people I hang out with all agree. I would hate to move somewhere where I would actually need a reasonable excuse for being in a bad mood.

And finally, husband-dear's little incentives. I mean, I don't know if he plans these things, but it is a good thing he has taken me on cruises, various mini-vacations, says things like "Hey, let's turn our half marathon into a romantic weekend away!", and buys me diamonds. If we stay here long enough I will have seen not only most of the B & Bs in Georgia, but will also need to purchase a safe for all of my goodies. He's smart, that man, I'm telling you.

So yes, it's (only) for now, and in spite of all the job openings out in California and Ohio that my friends keep emailing me, I'm here to stay.
For now.
Really.