Down by the river

File this under, "How do I love my job? Let me count the ways ..."

Friday was our team-building day, so we all hopped on a bus and headed for Gotter Prairie, a 170-acre flood plain meadow purchased by Metro for watershed restoration. Staff and volunteers from Tualatin Riverkeepers met us at the site, and led us on a hike across the meadow, pointing out deer tracks, red-winged blackbirds and snakes (which I didn't get to see!).

Our morning project was to remove the seedheads of invasive grasses. After an hour or so of moderate labor, we filed back onto the bus and enjoyed lunch at Hunter's Ridge Grill in Sherwood. I'll definitely check this place out again on the way back from trips to Newberg.

Next, we were off to Tualatin Community Park, where we had the option of hiking or canoeing. I hadn't paddled since my Dragon Boat experiment, and I'd never been in a canoe, so I jumped at the opportunity. The short strecth of the Tualatin that we explored was peaceful and pleasant. The weather was fantastic, and one of our Riverkeeper guides paid me the compliment of asking whether I was an experienced paddler. And we saw two turtles!

Our host for the day was the executive director of Tualatin Riverkeepers, who mentioned that their organization is one of 177 similar groups that operate as part of Bobby Kennedy, Jr.'s Waterkeeper Alliance. Their goal is to protect every watershed in the United States — a great cause for which I'd be happy to pull weeds again!

Live where you fear

 

"Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." - Rumi*

In the days since LRC, I've been thinking about how to apply what I learned to my life as a whole. I keep coming back to the basic assumption that you can do whatever you want, and asking myself what I would want to do, big or small, if I believed that I could do absolutely anything.

Especially since starting my new job and finally seeing "Editor" on my business card (one of my life's dreams), it's not like I'm unhappy where I am. But I do wonder if I could be doing work that will leave more of a legacy, or be more meaningful and rewarding for myself and the world. I'm also a little jealous of friends who are heading to grad school and wondering if that's where I want to go, too.

So, here's a list of dream jobs that are swimming in my mind. Who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to do all of these!

Linguist
If money was no object, I'd definitely try to get into the Ph.D. program at MIT. Studying linguistics under Noam Chomsky? Definitely a dream opportunity.

I've also read good things about the program at University of Hawaii. Can't beat the location, and they specialize in preserving endangered languages in the Pacific islands — a noble pursuit that would make a difference.

Yoga instructor
What? Well, I haven't been doing much yoga lately, and I've never been a full-on yogi with a regular practice, but yoga makes me feel better than anything else, and I think being a teacher would be a fantastic way to help other people feel good and open their minds. At 200 hours and around $3,000 for basic certification, this might be a little cheaper than MIT. But enough of boring practicalities — I can do anything!

Jeweler
This is another dream that I've carried since high school (the other was to be a magazine editor — a path I'm currently on). I love the transformation of metal from solid into liquid and back into solid. I love how silver looks so dirty, then polishes up to a brilliant shine. I like pretty shiny things. I've wanted a place to set up a casting centrifuge for years ... maybe this will be the year ...

Teaching English abroad
My awesome cousin Lois taught in Japan for many years, and I've always thought this would be a fantastic way to escape from America, live like a local in another land, and do something positive while basically getting paid to travel — my favorite thing to do, ever. Costa Rica is a dream destination.


*I came across this quote while looking at yoga teacher training options in Portland. I love it!
 

You know your boss is cool...

...when this is part of your birthday present to her.