Today, I accepted the offer. Since receiving the offer last Friday, I actually got a last-minute invitation for ANOTHER job a mere three hours away (a postdoc). While the place was nice, and the job would allow me to live in a very large city, I ultimately decided that it was in my best interest to take the VAP offer. It was actually a tough choice, as my new job is 900 miles away. This means I’ll see the spouse at most every 4-6 weeks. That is going to be super hard, but I know we will make it.
Earlier today, the Spouse and I went out to buy a car for me. We ended up with a Fiat 500 Sport. It’s a super sweet car, and I’ve been lusting after one since our time in Italy last summer. She’s quite the cutie, and a ton of fun to drive. They drove the car up for us to inspect just as I was taking the call so that I could officially accept the offer. It was an exciting few minutes for me!
Here it is:
It has all kinds of cool features, like bluetooth, voice recognition, a sweet sound system, automated climate control, an automatic transmission with optional manual mode, a sunroof, etc. It’s supposed to get around 28 mpg in the city, but I could see getting as much as 30 or 31 if I’m careful. Highway mileage is around 37, but I could get almost 40 in some conditions.
A few weeks ago, I wondered if I would ever find my way. Now I have, and it feels amazing. I’m not out of the woods yet, career-wise, but I’m on the right path. It was so tempting to just give up so many times, and I wondered if I’d made a huge mistake. However, I kept repeating to myself a line from a song from Disney’s Cinderella:
Have faith in your dreams and someday,
Your rainbow will come shining through.
For no matter how your heart is grieving,
If you keep on believing,
A dream that you wish,
Will come true.
Sure, it’s a cheesy, sentimental animated children’s movie, but wisdom comes in the strangest places. I knew what I wanted, and I busted my ass to get there, with the help of so many people. In the end, I’d say it was all worth it.