The Winds of Change
I've heard throughout my life that you should keep a list of things you want to do before you die, and you're supposed to work to check those things off one by one. I'm excited to announce that I'm soon going to be able to check off one of the biggest (and oftentimes seemingly unattainable) items on my mental list. If you're reading this blog, then you already know that in September I am leaving for Morocco to serve as a small business development volunteer with the United States Peace Corps.
Oh, I'm so excited! But I have to admit that I'm also entering into a state of panic when it comes to packing and planning -- how will I fit it all in within ten weeks and also have a chance to appreciate and enjoy the time I have left to spend with my family and friends? Yikes! I've never been so prepared and unprepared all at the same time. With that said, there are two things of which I'm certain: everything will get accomplished and the time will go way too quickly.
As much as I lament that I will miss out on so many things over the next two years, this is something that I've been looking forward to practically my whole life. No matter how many pairs of underwear I pack or what size bottle of conditioner I bring along, no matter how much money I have saved or how many pairs of glasses I have made, there are certainties in this scenario: I must go, and I will return.
One particular verse of a Willie Nelson song keeps bouncing around in my head:
