And what if I return half broken?

Wow. 2009. Another year has passed already? Seriously? Well, it's bound to be another exciting year...right? In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is one of those obligatory "new year" blogs.

So as I am laying here in the wee hours of the morning thinking about random things, as seems to be the case most nights. And I'm thinking about the last year and what 2009 may bring.

Well, over the last couple of months the wonderful XM radio has been playing some "older" tunes as it's been converging with Sirius. Now you're probably wondering where this is leading to and if I have really lost my mind. I promise this will come together and not be too random.

So, back to the music. Well one day, on my way to Duke (because where else would I be going) and I came across the song by Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know." More recently, I have not been able to get this song out of my head, but for some reason one of the lyrics always gets changed in my head, despite the fact I know the correct lyrics.

The song is worded as so:

"I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin..."

And so forth and so on, obviously not the complete lyrics, but you get the idea. Now, the song is obviously addressed to some one's object of affection. The refrain “Oh simple thing where have you gone” is quite catchy. However, as I wrote earlier the lyrics most often get changed in my head and what comes to my mind is “Oh simple faith where have you gone?”

Now for a little self psychoanalysis (as most of you fall off of whatever you are sitting on from laughing hysterically). It's funny that this song came on as I was headed to Duke, because as most folks know, I pretty much have lived at Duke a "fair" amount of the last three years and now I am changing a lyric in my brain to make it sound like I am questioning where something important has gone? I mean seriously, is there a correlation?

Correlation? Why yes. I have worked the last few years on something that I thought would make my life complete. In fact, this accomplishment has left me questioning things more and more. I love what I do, the career path I have chosen, and the INCREDIBLE people I have met along the way, but something just feels like it is missing. I feel as though I have this huge void in my life, which I didn't feel until the last few months.

Now, one hypothesis to this void is that since graduation I have been thrown into a life I have never known: life without school. For so many years, 8 actually, I have lived life working full-time and going to school full-time. Since May I have had a few extra things to distract me such as running, my NP boards, credentialing (aka the bane of my existence), and my increased work schedule. Not sure what the other hypotheses might be as this one seems to be a common one amongst the peanut gallery.

Alright, so to bring this full circle. Obviously, I think my "pathway" and "empty land" are Duke because it has been my home for the last few years and I feel the most comfortable and yet most uncomfortable there (I swear it's a happy medium sometimes). The "simple thing," whether it be faith, happiness, a sense of productivity, etc, is what I believe I am searching for and feeling devoid of.
Make sense?

So, unlike any New Year's resolution I have ever made (because normally it is to lose weight, either geared towards grades for school, or some other concrete goal), my New Year's resolution this year is to find out what is missing...what created this void...and what needs to be placed there to fill it. Hopefully this quest will be accomplished before this time next year.

“All my life I believed I knew something. But then one strange day came when I realized that I knew nothing, yes, I knew nothing. And so words became void of meaning. I have arrived too late at ultimate uncertainty.” -Ezra Pound 1885-1972