First-World Problems
This past weekend I went to the beach. It’s our last “big” family event before I leave. It’s amazing how some time away, and how being unemployed, changes the way you think. My creativity, long untapped, is beginning to well up again. I started writing again, and again have the desire to draw and play music.
While at the beach, I just let my mind wander. JFK once said that we are drawn to the sea because we came from it, and we long to return to it. I don’t know if that’s accurate, but I do know that being at the beach has a healing quality to it. The one thing that kept recurring in my thoughts as I reflected on everything that’s happened to me in the past weeks was this:
I am so thankful for my first-world problems.
Am I going to have car trouble? What am I going to eat for lunch today? What if my boss doesn’t like my work? Do these clothes look okay? I can’t get this game to work on my computer. Where did my digital pics go? Did I lose them? Did I miss that awesome flash sale on the internet? I fell asleep at the beach and now I have sunburn. Am I making smart decisions with my investments?
I’ve never had to worry about going hungry, or if I’d be the victim of violence in the course of the day. I’ve never had to worry about someone I love dying because we couldn’t afford medical care. I’ve never had to worry about war. My corrupt political leaders pocket money and pass laws that benefit corporations; they don’t start genocide. Some people may not like my religion but no one’s going to blow up my church.
The days are getting shorter now. I don’t have much time left here. As my room gets barer and I begin to pile things into the corner for packing, the pressure of what I’m doing begins to grow. I’m moving to a foreign country I’ve never been to for at least a year with nobody I know. I don’t speak the language. I don’t have much teaching experience. Will people like me? Will I learn the language? Can I be successful?
I am so thankful for my first-world problems.
Great Weekend
A lot’s happened in the past 72 hours. I quit my job on Friday. It feels like a lot of weight off my shoulders. My work environment was very positive, and I enjoyed working with the people I met very much. Still, not working is pretty fun.
On Saturday, I went boating with a bunch of friends. I met them when we all did volunteer work in college. We went to the Bronx one year, and another year we went to the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic day. I saved my friend’s pair of sunglasses, and I even had the adventure of tubing.
You can check out the video of my face here. (LINK)
I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I think somehow I fell over the front of the tube, and then it got dragged across my face and throat. I’m glad that’s all it did though, and it wasn’t too serious. To tell you the truth, it was sort of a nice spice. Sometimes life is a little boring, and it takes something to liven it up a bit.
Today, my sister and I found the time to go to a local vineyard. I had a great time. It was really lucky that we had the time to go. I was worried we wouldn’t because all of my weekends now are pretty much booked. It was nice just hanging out and talking. There was also live music, a band called Chatham Street. I enjoyed them and bought their CD. Haven’t listened to it much yet, but if you’re interested you can check them out at:
http://www.chathamstreetmusic.com
