Looking back, looking forward

It has been nearly a year since I last wrote, due to the demands of grad school, and this post must be brief since I should be doing homework. However, I must say that in looking back at my old posts, it is good to be reminded of things and to see where I have been, and where I am now headed.
Some posts in particular remind me how much has changed this year, and what I have to look forward to as well as what is still a mystery of the future. The post on "Solitude" made me thankful for the dear one who now keeps me from being lonely (yes you, you know who you are!) and whom I enjoy sharing things with. I have found a church where I can volunteer in the nursery and hold babies, and hugs are no longer a rare occurrence. I visited the elementary school during my road trip this summer, and got to see my ex-students, as well as reconnect with friends in Washington. The back problems I experienced last year are not so miserable anymore and therapy is helping. I don't think I ever wrote about the episode with mono, but let's say that it forced me to stop, slow down for awhile, and need/accept a lot of help from others. I am dancing again/still, and it is always something to look forward to at the end of a tiring week.
Last but not least, it's interesting to see how, in posts of two years ago, I believed that teaching was not my strength and that I needed to move on. Last year, I struggled with the expectations of professors and tried to find out what being a musicologist really entailed, ending the year with some hard truth from my advisor. It turns out that teaching is one of my strengths after all (thus a change in degree programs), and now I am developing that further so that I can use it in a context that may be a better fit. I am enjoying conducting, as it involves me in music making again, and is a sort of dance that brings forth the music from people. I am finding that I am okay with not knowing exactly what path I will take after graduation, and am glad that I won't be stuck in the dark corners of libraries hunched over obscure sources to make a living as a scholar after all. I am enjoying the research of music education even more, and even though I still love music history, I feel like this is more relevant and I will be able to make a positive difference in the lives of young people again. I never thought I'd end up back in the public school system, but now I don't dread the thought of that so much anymore.
I have also moved on from German language study to Italian, admittedly with some ulterior motives, and am looking forward to the possibility of studying abroad and seeing some of the world beyond the U.S.
I'm afraid this is more of an update than a creative writing entry; someday I will have time and inspiration for those again, but for now it is enough just to pause to take notice of the turns life has taken, and to be thankful for them.