Away and then here to stay, for now.

The past couple of months have brought with a huge helping of change to my plate. Some good, some a tad lame and the rest normal background noise.

Lame first.

Since summer, okay that is further back then what I just referenced above, but stay focused and go with me on this one, two friends have come and gone. Not that they passed on, we’re simple not friends anymore. Misunderstandings came up that they couldn’t move past, of course me being who I am I refused at first in my libran logic to let these relationships die, and instead tried to salvage them. Which now, I equate to the impossible feat of raising the Titanic from its frigid watery grave of the north Atlantic. Some things are better left alone and viewed now and then for what they were. Braving those depths has become too difficult for me and my sanity refuses to allow me to search for treasures that could rectify friendships that have become barely “aquaintenceships”. I will not begin or participate in mud slinging, for people forget that turmeric is a main ingredient whose stain never washes clear of your clothing, but rather it slowly fades, leaving behind a reminder of what a waste of time it was to engage in the act. Already I have scars, why do I need the addition of stained clothing, too?!

Background noise.

Ever expect to wake up in another world and then are reminded of your reality? Well, I still feel as though I’m adjusting to a 9 to 5 work week. Add to that two part time positions to facilitate my favorite habit, traveling, then minor headaches and hiccups become typical symptoms. 7 days a week I rise to number crunch, dish out prepared salads and/or photograph tipsy bar/club patrons. I admit the variety keeps me going, as do my hilarious and intelligent co workers. Nate time is rare, but I read from one of my dozen books in progress or experiment with a new recipe. How problematic this existence can be, consuming me with dull serrated teeth, there seem to be a few ways out. Three things that come to mind include these: Quit two jobs and cut traveling to a minimum, go back to school as I’ve been toying with for a couple years now or change careers.

The Good.

A friend visited back in December for a week and it was a great chance to reconnect. As with when you listen to a favorite song, there is bound to be something which continues to pull you in. Whether that be a bow running along a violin’s string, a sharp or even a flat key change, fancy finger work on a guitar, a fine electronic mix or a voice that is so full and beyond compare. At least, these are the the attributes that reel me in. As if life couldn’t get any better, I boarded a plan to Hawai’i for two weeks. Relaxation and excitement was easy to stumble over around every corner, whether I was biking 200 miles in a week with a group of 29, surfing a few meters above rocks and coral, attempting to sample 50 local fresh fruit (many right off the tree or vine), strolling through a caldera with steam vents all about or counting down the New Year with a friend before a fireworks display, these were a handful of a thousand things I could have done. Challenges were ever present that I was happy to face. And while my adventures provided a whole new set of ways to end up in the hospital, I came out with only a few scratches and bruises. Washington D.C. was another trip that registers on the unbelievable chart. From walking by will.i.am and then later Beyonce (when no one but my friends and me recognized them), standing in a crowd less then a soccer ball field distance from our next president and attending an official ball where I stood several meters from President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, to sight seeing, reconnecting with friends and trying the best vegan food the area had to offer, I am still reeling at what history in the making I experienced in the briefest of time.

Back home, I have renewed bonds with friends and family. And now, in a new routine, I try to shake those labels off my day’s events and see these instead as happenings throughout the rest of my life, instead of stumbling blocks holding me back. What good is a pie of crust without the filling? Exactly. Some of you might see it the other way around, yet to me the crust is the most delicious part. The initial bite of texture, the crumble and then finally the filling’s sweetness hits me and I continue the cycle.