I have written before about timing and how I think I have a plan and a timeline all sorted and then things suddenly happen more quickly. I think it might be happening again.

Here was the plan up until last weekend:

• stay at my current school for a third year
• start looking for jobs in the fall (ie September for those of us in the Northern hemisphere)
• go to a job fair in January 2015 if I haven’t found one by then
• work at a new job for a few years, save money and find somewhere to volunteer after that

But then last weekend, a friend suggested I should just stay here for the few extra years and then go volunteer. That got me thinking but not about staying (sorry Carine). Instead I decided that my finances are already such that I could feasibly look for a volunteer position for September 2015 instead of another international school position. And one day this past week, before heading into work that led me to Google “volunteer librarian overseas” and I found something that has my brain whirring.

Today I got in touch with a good friend who is far away and found out she is starting chemo. If I was looking for a sign of why I should volunteer now instead of waiting, I think that is it. At the same time as I was chatting with her, I was online with my brother asking if he had a Magic 8 Ball because I had a dilemma over whether to look into volunteering or job hunt. When I shared the chemo news with him and said I thought it was a sign, he replied “Carpe diem and all that”. Wise words.

I’m off to compose an email…