I’m off to Atlanta again. It’s my second trip this spring and it’s for a top secret meeting that I’d love to fill you in on, but then I’d have to… well, you know the end to that story. Actually I’m going to have some news on why I’m in Atlanta again soon and it’s not to attend tryouts for the Atlanta Falcons. I’m not even being considered for the cheerleading team.
These Georgia pronghorns are sneaky. I've been watching this water hole for a week and seen nothing but guys fishing for bream.
Visiting Atlanta again reminds me of a trip I took to the city right out of college. A large outdoor publishing company invited me down to see their offices and offered me the opportunity to head up their photography division. For background, I was in my early twenties, newly married, working part-time and living in a one-room, low-rent apartment.
It was one of the toughest decisions of my life. Should I move to Georgia and take a job with good pay, benefits and the opportunity to network? Or should I stay in South Dakota, continue working part-time and hope something comes along?
Visiting Georgia firsthand was definitely helpful in my decision. If you’re from Georgia don’t take this personally, but I was raised in a part of the country that provided me access to cornfields, river bottoms and open prairie. Via a short drive I could also hike badlands and mountains. Looking around Atlanta just didn’t inspire me to spend the rest of my life in country where I didn’t have a connection or yearning to explore. It was that simple.
I opted out and kicked myself for the next year or so before I was hired full-time and started down the road that ends with where I am today. Still, every time I go to Georgia I think about the life-changing decision.
Mark Kayser
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