Road not taken

I've spent a lot of winters traveling. Back in the early days, e-mail most often meant dial-up connections. Often it involved carrying a 3.5 inch disk to libraries and private businesses. Does that give some idea of the time period?

My lovely wife had hit the road in October. We had a tent, a canoe, all our gear, and a dog, all stuffed into a Doge Neon. November found us in a cabin on Table Rock Lake in Southwest Missouri. It was 8 miles of twisty hill road to town. Public access to the Internet was at the local drive through liquor store.

I received an e-mail from one of my former college professors. He was sounding me out to see if I might be interested in a adjunct teaching position. The offer was both flattering and tempting. Scholarly life stimulates the mind, is indoor work and there's no heavy lifting. Adjunct professors are at the bottom -the college equivalent of piece work factory jobs. Pay is by the class per semester. The pay is low, but it's a foot in the door. There is also the opportunity to work on a Master's Degree without having to pay for it.

Not too much earlier I'd tried a short stint as a substitute High School teacher. Because I'm male, big and ugly, they gave me all the trouble kids. That was fine. We got along. At first the other teachers gave me the cold shoulder -until I made it clear that I did not want their jobs. Lacking a teaching degree, I didn't expect them to worry, but as it turned out, I was more qualified that some of the full time teachers. While the actual teaching was enjoyable, dealing with the administration was not. Over time it was clear that we'd certainly butt heads. Between that and the poor pay, I gave up the gig.

At the college level it would have been different. Having recently been a student at the college, I knew the players and politics. There was nothing I could not live with. In fact, I got along well most of the people. The ivory tower beckoned.

The temptation passed. My lovely wife and I continued our gypsy lifestyle, eventually making our way to Texas and then Florida and Key West. Adventure won out over greater income and stability. No regrets.

-Sixbears