Well as with most things in life, Timing is everything! When I was contacted by the Board with the news that I was chosen as AHS's Head of School, I was just heading out into the mountains on yet another Outward Bound snowboarding expedition. As I lived in my tent for a week at 12,500 feet, the reality of this new transition began to sink in. Both the powder and my thoughts were deep and the absolutely perfect snow helped distract my racing mind. The timeline for getting settled into my new role was set as "immediate" and I began wondering how I'd make it out of the field while still honoring the course objectives, provide quality and safe instruction to my current charges, wrap things up in AZ and make it to Durango ASAP.
Instead of heading to Telluride for a few days of "down time," I came off course and 12 hours later was on the last flight out of Denver to Phoenix. In 72 hours I managed to hand over the company I had built from scratch which included re-assigning bank accounts, handing over files and cross checking that all my now former responsibilities at Learn Outdoors were covered. Needless to say, we got nearly everything dialed in and as quick as I had arrived back in AZ, I was now off to Colorado again. This time without my dogs and without the majority of my personal belongings. Rachel and I loaded up two vehicles and pushed north across the reservation, into La Plata county and finally onto D-town.
Serendipitous is a great word. It is also how I would describe my first week here in town. Within four days we had secured a home to rent, switched our mail, banking and drivers license information and settled into a routine in our new home town. It is interesting to note that our first few evenings were spent residing at the historic Strater Hotel...an establishment that for many decades served as the local citizenry’s refuge during the winter months.
Upon reflection, I can think of no more fitting a place to start our residency in town than with a small stint in the hotel that historically sheltered Durangoans from the cold.
Steadily, we began to branch out past Main Street and discover more subtle details and secrets about our new home. I began carving a daily routine out of my disjointed situation and soon my day was framed by morning trips to the rec center and nights capped with movies on the laptop. I met more people in those first few days than I have in quite some time and I went about keeping a Name Sheet- kind of like a cheat sheet with all the acquaintances I had recently made and little notes about their identities to keep me honest.
In lieu of an office, I bounced from coffee shop to coffee shop chasing Wifi signals and holding 4 to 5 meetings a day. Although I wanted to take some time and ease into my new scene, time was of the essence and everyone seemed to want a piece of the new guy. It would have been easy to fold under the stress and intensity of this transition. But as I took a therapeutic trek next to the river on my first weekend afternoon off, I realized that all the work, all the rush, all the pressure of getting here and getting established helped cement my new reality. Durango is now home and the opportunity to lead Animas High School as it grows and develops is a dream come true. So even though I'm a little overwhelmed, bleary-eyed and still not sure how I got here so fast, one thing is clear.
Regardless of how quickly it feels that I uprooted myself from my world, this new place, Durango, is where I'm excited to grow and bloom. And strange as it may seem, it took only a few days for this new location to feel like home....
Now, if I could only get some furniture and pictures up on the bare walls....
Instead of heading to Telluride for a few days of "down time," I came off course and 12 hours later was on the last flight out of Denver to Phoenix. In 72 hours I managed to hand over the company I had built from scratch which included re-assigning bank accounts, handing over files and cross checking that all my now former responsibilities at Learn Outdoors were covered. Needless to say, we got nearly everything dialed in and as quick as I had arrived back in AZ, I was now off to Colorado again. This time without my dogs and without the majority of my personal belongings. Rachel and I loaded up two vehicles and pushed north across the reservation, into La Plata county and finally onto D-town.
Serendipitous is a great word. It is also how I would describe my first week here in town. Within four days we had secured a home to rent, switched our mail, banking and drivers license information and settled into a routine in our new home town. It is interesting to note that our first few evenings were spent residing at the historic Strater Hotel...an establishment that for many decades served as the local citizenry’s refuge during the winter months.
Upon reflection, I can think of no more fitting a place to start our residency in town than with a small stint in the hotel that historically sheltered Durangoans from the cold.
Steadily, we began to branch out past Main Street and discover more subtle details and secrets about our new home. I began carving a daily routine out of my disjointed situation and soon my day was framed by morning trips to the rec center and nights capped with movies on the laptop. I met more people in those first few days than I have in quite some time and I went about keeping a Name Sheet- kind of like a cheat sheet with all the acquaintances I had recently made and little notes about their identities to keep me honest.
In lieu of an office, I bounced from coffee shop to coffee shop chasing Wifi signals and holding 4 to 5 meetings a day. Although I wanted to take some time and ease into my new scene, time was of the essence and everyone seemed to want a piece of the new guy. It would have been easy to fold under the stress and intensity of this transition. But as I took a therapeutic trek next to the river on my first weekend afternoon off, I realized that all the work, all the rush, all the pressure of getting here and getting established helped cement my new reality. Durango is now home and the opportunity to lead Animas High School as it grows and develops is a dream come true. So even though I'm a little overwhelmed, bleary-eyed and still not sure how I got here so fast, one thing is clear.
Regardless of how quickly it feels that I uprooted myself from my world, this new place, Durango, is where I'm excited to grow and bloom. And strange as it may seem, it took only a few days for this new location to feel like home....
Now, if I could only get some furniture and pictures up on the bare walls....
