deferment

I think "defer" is a funny verb. It literally means to put off or delay, but it has some strong connotations for me. The first thing that comes to mind is Vietnam, specifically that coveted 2-s student deferment. There's the student loan angle - deferring payment on those things. And then there's Langston Hughes and his poem "Dream Deffered." It all combines to give me a decidedly negative feeling about deferring anything (unless it's military service, of course).

I bring this up because I am, in fact, deferring my acceptance to PTS for a year. The last month has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, and I've gone back and forth about this. A one-year position at the Campus Chapel in Ann Arbor fell into my lap, but it obviously meant postponing everything else for a year. I managed to get over the mental deferment hurdle by focusing on how the job will eventually contribute to my success at Princeton. I'll be a better sem student for having spent a year working at the Chapel.

So, I'm Ann Arbor bound (only 2.5 hours from Cleveland!). No dreams drying up like raisins in the sun - just another stop along the way.