At a certain time in every one's life they yearn to "settle down" and let their lives take their natural course. I "settled down" first when I came to grips with my dyslexia, learning difficulties, reading, and school in general at a very young age. Years later I "settled down" and realized I could not overcome this "sexual awakening thing" and that it might take a lifetime to understand my own and other people's sexual desires, wants, etc. That turned out to be true indeed.
In eighth grade I "settled down" and aimed myself for the best private high school in the state of Wisconsin -- Marquette University High School. Took the admissions test; earned the money for the first year of tuition; got there/did that. I then "settled down" in college and decided I would pursue all my interests: English, Math, Languages, Morality, and anything new that came along. A stay in Italy and exposure to deep Jesuit pedagogy meant that Theatre and Philosophy both came along. I double majored/double minored to include all my interests. I took advanced seminars when I should probably have been taking basic courses (my Advisor at Marquette didn't care; he had a part-time job as a game show host [no, seriously]). I "settled down" and made connections among all my fields of endeavor.
Graduate school came with a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, lots of offers in lots of fields, and Research and Teaching Assistantships first in Philosophy (Ethics, Logic, Aesthetics) then in Theatre at a second graduate school (University of Wisconsin - Madison) (Acting, Acting Styles, Stagecraft, Directing). I had "settled down" to be an academic bonus baby. Lots of offers came with that too -- some good, most of them a bit corrupt ("carry coffee for me and I'll make you a star").
There is more "settling down" in future posts. I will stop right here now.
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