I just realized, I am living a cliché. I am that guy, you know, the guy in the movie or TV show (right now Suits is using this exact theme) whose life is going well. He has finally gotten his act together, a good paying job, a great family, and then something or, more usually, someone from his past comes back into his life and insists he must pull “just one more” job/hit/somethingillegal. In Suits our young hero got into drugs, mainly selling, and has finally broken out of that cycle and is now an up and coming lawyer.
Me? Well, and I must preface with this, I actually love my “vice,” which is researching and writing on biblical exegesis. But I also love my job as an administrator. I love being a dean of an honors college, teaching, and even fundraising and recruiting students. Doing all of that takes a LOT of time and I really enjoy it. But here is the catch: I am only an associate professor. We don’t usually get to be deans. I need to make full and that means not simply writing and publishing, but writing and publishing within that narrow band for which I am tenured.
“Just once more, mate, then you can write on whatever you like! I promise. One more score, that’s all!”