good news, bad news, fellow friends. . .

it's friday morning, about four hours before my dad drives into town to help me pack and move back down to texas, which is where i planned to spend some personel time with friends and family before heading off to the peace corps.
suddenly the phone rang "ring, ring", and i knew it would for i slept with it close to my pillow.

"hello?"

"simon burkhardt?"

"yes"

"this is brian payne from the peace corps. office in washington..."

i instantly sat up in the pitch black room, eyes-perked-mouth-gaped, with only the dimly lit green LCD screen of the phone gleaming against my cheek.

".. i have some good news and bad news for you simon..."

(good news) --->"..we reviewed the last of your dental exams and they've all been cleared, you're in the final stage of being placed..."

eyes-wide-dimples-rising

(bad news) --->"..however, your exams didn't get cleared in time for the August 8th departure. "

eyebrows-hunched-shoulders-slumped

"what?"

"i'm afraid that all the slots for the particular assignment you were nominated for have been filled, but i can keep you on the list for an upcoming departure."

"when will that be?"

"unfortunately, it won't be for another year or more."

i fall back against the pillow, eyes-closed-body-exhausted.

"is that the soonest?" knowing very well what the answer would be.

"yes"

the conversation continues for another ten minutes as the details are filled and my options are weighed. i finally decide to let go of my aspirations for the pacific islands and allow my status to be nominated for other assignments. this would also take some time to process, but hopefully it would be less then six months.

so my present situation, friends and friends, seems to be quite a pickle. from where i stand i have two choices.

choice a: wait around for six months to a year and hope that my status will be picked-up by another assignment. this would mean that i would have to look for another uninteresting job to keep me occupied while i wait. my main motivation for this choice is that i passionately want to volunteer for the peace corps. the deterrent is that i feel stagnate while waiting, and it's still not a guarantee that i will be accepted as a volunteer. there might be hundreds of other applicants better qualified.

choice b: give up on the peace corps. and get started on my career. this appeals to me because i'm starting to see some of my friends jumping into their fields and the idea of getting back into my creative talent excites me. however i still think i would be a better person if i were to gain a cross-cultural experience before starting my career.

so that's my dilemma. i have tenacious feelings for both, but which one do i choose?

then came the simple solution of my father.

"why not both"

"both?, how can i do both?"

"actually, it's more like, let the choices choose you"

i knew the answer was hidden in those words, but i still didn't comprehend. my puzzled face queued his explanation.

"all i'm saying is that you can initiate and prepare yourself for both. keep in contact with the peace corps. and let them know that you're still interested, but at the same time start looking for jobs in your field. and which ever one presents its opportunity first, you take."

this was truly brilliant and the best kind, simple brilliance. i instantly felt relieved and shook the stress out of my nerves. i could pursue both and when the time came the choice would choose me.

if the peace corps. came first then i would commit two years to a worthy cause and be able to start my career afterwards.

if a career opportunity came first then i wouldn't feel like wasting time, and i'd be enjoying a creative job where i'd be enhancing my talents. i could always volunteer for the peace corps. later on in my life.

and that's how this pickle ends, friends and friends. i'll probably be posting alot more artwork in the future and if anybody knows of contacts that i'd be interested in, let me know. thanks for listening to my anecdote and from texas to denver, i'll talk to ya'll later.