Jeez

So I fly to Philadelphia two weeks from today. I am so completely not ready it's comic (or comical?). I just survived a weekend / weeklong wedding of my best pal from childhood, and the emotional Niagara Falls of seeing some of my closest allies in living for the last time until who-knows-when. The good news is that it was a great, fantastic, and extremely successful whirlwind of parties, events, and goings on. More good, clean fun than anyone deserves to expect, and I am trying to be grateful for that.

Today I face the first day of my official "getting ready is the most important thing" phase, and haven't had a whole lot of success. But I made a list! And I am going to send some emails, look into ordering some things I will want / need, and start to dial it in. Also, got to speak to my brother - at war in Afganistan - through one of those miracles that the US Army provides: a telephone. Or maybe it's just the future that provides them. Anyway, if he can be sweating in the mountains of central Asia, I can get my lazy ass ready to fly out of this cushy life and into a new adventure.

I begin to feel my shell harden, my expectations darken a bit as I ready for the challenges ahead. I know they will jump out at me, and hopefully the first two hit me when I have some readiness. I also know that I will get tag teamed - probably sick and lonely and needing to accomplish something in a foreign language or who knows - and that will be a moment to look back on these good days as something more than dimming memories. Strength can be found in community, even 4222 miles away.