Explanation - Not Quite the Beginning But a Long Way From the End

On May 27th, 2009 I started a series of occasional status updates on Facebook that follow the somewhat cryptic formula: "T-minus (roman numeral) to MDIV." On June 1, 2009, the formula expanded to: "T-minus (roman numeral) to MDIV; (roman numeral) to XXX." In the weeks that followed the original appearance of the cryptic formula, many of my friends have asked me to explain its meaning. Some of suggested that it eluded to an impending "apocalypse later," which turns out not to be too far off from the truth.

The year 2010 will be a watershed year in my life. At this moment, two important dates stand on the horizon. On May 27, 2009 I will graduate from Harvard Divinity School and officially become a Master of Divinity (M.Div.). On June 1, 2009, just five days later, I will turn 30. I am actually very excited about what both milestones will mean for my life. My experience at Harvard has truly been transformative, and the commencement ceremony next year will serve as an elaborate ritual to mark my maturation as a scholar and as a human being. Turning 30 lends form of numeric credence to the first shreds of wisdom that I seem to have acquired through the life experience I have enjoyed thus far.

As the one-year mark to both dates approached, I decided that I wanted to establish some form of a countdown that would help me to maintain perspective on what I expect will be a formative year in my life. When I started to explore the various ways that I could actually execute such a countdown, it occurred to me that Facebook status updates offered the perfect platform. They are handy. They are accessible and they make it possible for me to share this process with friends and colleagues who can keep track of where I am in relation to these milestones. My hope is that they will also provide a regular outlet for support and a regular opportunity for those in my cohort to pump each other up as we race towards the finish line.

The more friends asked me about the meaning behind my status updates, the more I realized that maybe I had managed to find a captivating way for me to capture my journey through this next year of my life. Several friends have also encouraged me to start a blog, which I've been hesitant to do. Mostly, I've never thought that I had anything that I felt compelled enough to write about on a regular basis. But as I've thought about everything that I have on my plate for the next year, I've realized that this is an experience that is worth cataloging. So, for the next year you will notice that my (hopefully not so cryptic) Facebook status updates will occasionally include updated links to this blog. Here, I will try to record the events, exchanges, accomplishments, setbacks and emotions that shape this coming year.

Now an explanation for the roman numerals. There are two closely related reasons for choosing to countdown using roman numerals. First, I'm a nerd. I think that's self-explanatory. Second, it reflects a bit of nostalgia from my days on the high school track team. As part of our daily warm up routine, we would do push-ups as a team with the team captain calling out the cadence. Under most circumstances, the captain yells "Down!", at which point the team completes the repetition and responds by yelling the number of push-ups completed. In our case, the team would respond by counting in roman numerals. The result was a team cadence that sounded something like this:

"Down!"

"Eye!" (I)

"Down!"

"Eye! Eye!" (II)

"Down!"

"Eye! Eye! Eye!" (III)

And so on...

So, I suppose you could think of this aspect of the countdown as a celebration of my continued nerdiness and the fact that I have managed to survive in spite of this nerdiness for nearly XXIX, going on XXX years.

So, there you have it. I cannot begin to express how excited I am about this coming year. Hopefully, the lengths to which I have gone to share my experiences with you will communicate just what this means to me. I look forward to the journey that lies ahead and I hope you will enjoy sharing it with me.

Thanks to all my friends and family for the support they have shown me over the years. The fun is just beginning!