Five years ago I was in Dallas Texas, hunting for an affordable apartment and trying to stay cool. The nights were orange, the days unbearable, and traffic was everywhere. I came to Dallas on a whim, wooed and drawn by the Headmaster and my friends and now I sat in my Jeep, in 110 degree humidity thinking about this new great adventure in the Bible belt. So, I could never imagine myself, five years from then, back on the island, married, and with a tiny little boy tottering around the living room.

My life has found itself on a firm shore now. Five years from now, I imagine I will still be on that continent. Rourke will be an obnoxious six year old, looking forward to tormenting his first grade teacher. Rourke may even have a young playmate. Syd and I will still be married, and Henry Jr. will continue to dispense high calorie lunches to the workers. More likely than not, you will still be able to find me in Room 213, doling out my own particular brand of education.

At the same time, some pretty serious waves are threatening the shore that I stand on. Nantucket is at the end of a pretty radical change from a small town in the sea, to a big time resort community. In five years, the high school may be half the size that it is right now. Most of the current teachers will have retired or have moved to the mainland. Second, through the MCAS and some of the fundamental changes in the economy of the island, the high school student body, although smaller, will be more academic and more monied than they are right now. Finally, Henry Jr. will continue to be popular, but it will be next to impossible to staff the shop. Sydney and I will have to come up with more and more creative solutions

Of course, you never know the hurricanes that can come blowing up the coast. The land that feels so firm underneath, could be swept under in a second. Health has to be the first concern. Should anything serious happen to any of us, all bets are off for the future. Similarly, Nantucket has always been at the very far edge of the economy. Should the American economy tank, Nantucket would surely feel a heavy shot. Of course, we could feel wonderful events as well. I could write a novel, sell millions of copies, and make a gigantic movie. None of these events are likely, but something unplanned and big will happen.

But for all its unpredictablity, my future is remarkably stable. Peace, a booming economy, and middle age have taken much of the adventure out of my life and replaced it with golf scores and barbecues. I would have preferred Pip's life, years ago, with its adventures and dramas, its highs and lows. But now, I think that Joe, Biddy and the rest of them may have the right idea after all. What good are "Great Expectations" without the peace of mind to enjoy them?