A Change of Tac?

"What would you do if you only had 3 months left to live?" That was the question posed to me several weeks ago during a sermon series called "The Bucket List." (A great series, check podcasts or Benji Kelley's blog if you want to hear it... links are on the bottom right of this blog) However, at 3 months one can begin to throw caution to the wind somewhat... there is no intermediate or long-term planning involved, and so I don't think its as difficult a question as people try to make it. The bottom line is: live.

The more difficult question, or at least the one I feel I'm wrestling with, is: What would you do if you knew you were leaving in about 1 year? Not dying, but leaving. Not 3 months, not tomorrow... 1 year. How does one tie up the loose ends, and which ones should be maintained? How does one tell family, friends, and coworkers that in approximately 1 years time, he or she will most likely no longer be there? Clearly, some strategy is necessary, and one cannot "just live" with the same reckless abandon as 3 months before the hearse mentality would allow.

You're probably wondering what would cause a person to think like this, so I'll let the cat out of the bag here. If you've read my last post, it probably won't come as a surprise to you. Anyhow, I'm considering a change of tac for my life. Prior to this point, my mentality was to finish out my PhD at Carolina, do a post-doc somewhere (Berkley came to mind... though somewhere overseas would be pretty sweet), and then become a professor at a university. The catch was that whenever someone asked me, I would always have to confess I had a hard time actually seeing myself doing that... I know I could accomplish it and I believe I have the potential to be a great professor, but somehow it didn't "click" in my mind.

The alternative is to go active with the Marines. Truly embrace this warrior mentality and allow it to consume me fully, rather than trying to fit it into one weekend per month. Right now I am being re-trained as a Supply Marine to fill vacancies at my current reserve unit. If I finish out my Masters, I can activate and deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan for one year. I can advance my martial arts belts, attend Corporal's course, and serve my country in a very tangible way. I'll make a difference. Overseas I can pick-up the rank of Sergeant very rapidly (assuming I don't receive it meritoriously before then) and upon return, I can submit a package for Platoon Leaders Course, graduating as a First Lieutenant in the Marines (due to having a Masters in Chem, by that point). In two years from now, I could be a Marine Officer. Granted, this raises a plethora of additional questions (infantry? intelligence? supply/logistics? aviation?), especially since the only way I think an officer would suit me is if I did this as a career. In the words of Marty McFly, "That's heavy, doc." Yet somehow, I think I would be more alive and fully embrace the different aspects the military has to offer. The structure, punctuality, creative thinking, definite rank and order, customs and courtesies, and travel all strike a chord within me. I believe I would be well-suited to that lifestyle and career. To put it simply, it feels more right than living in a lab or classroom, striving for any extent of self-actualization.

In the words of the honorable President Ronald Regan, "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they make a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."

But what does one do until then?