Paint It

Well today flew by without any major issues other than some gut pains in the morning. My body is apparently still getting use to my new diet. I spent my downtime at work today surfing the net searching for the activities I intend to do during my vacation. I think a little more information is in order.

My vacation is a go. As it stands today, I have 40 hours of vacation time. By the time I plan to leave, I will have accumulated at least 24 more hours. For those keeping track, that's 8 days. I am working on trying to gather comp time days by working through holidays and what not. The more, the better.
So in case I have failed to mention it somewhere, my vacation destination is Alaska. In searching for things I want to do while I'm there, I come to the realization that there is too much to do in one short, 8 day trip. Upon the advice of a friend, I have created a short list of "must do" things and now I'm trying to set everything up. I have also found that some things are cheaper than I anticipated while others are much, much more expensive. All in all I think it will be fun. More so than I have had in a very long time.
I have also decided to take a look at the university while in Anchorage. I have dreams and wishes an in order to fulfill these things, an education is a must. I know I have a world renowned university next door, but sometimes I think we do better by putting ourselves into environments we are less familiar with. I guess what I'm saying is that I will be seriously considering Anchorage as an education destination. A relocation could follow...Only time will tell. I have just come to realize that I no longer have someone telling me what I can't do and have no shackles holding me here. Does this mean I am leaving? Not yet. The point is, life is too short to be held back by anything. All offers are on the table...So to speak.

So again, let's revisit what this vacation means. This is really not a vacation. This is an exploration on the heart and mind. Not a crisis recovery or a soul search. This is about fulfilling a childhood dream a visiting a place that has always held my heart captive. This is about exploring a possible place to live, work, and get educated. This is about following through on and idea, a dream, a goal. This is about expanding my horizons. It's about opportunity. You get me?

Now don't think for one moment that I do anything without much thought. You see, as I have said before, I over think everything! So that being said, it's all about baby steps, or so I am told. It's crazy for me to be thinking like this. For serious. If you asked me last year or even two or three years ago about what I wanted or where I was going I would have had to check with someone else first. Why, you may ask? I always felt my wants and needs could take back seat as long as I could provide for others. This is something I learned from my dad. Well, after 10 years I can say that is wrong. How can you provide for someone if you can't provide the most important thing for yourself? That thing is fulfillment. You know that thing we are put on this earth to do? Yeppers, that be it. To me, an unfulfilled life is not worth living. I know it sounds a little cliche but it's true. So let me stop and smile for a moment...

Last thought:
The future may be unwritten, but I believe it's been painted. The trick is to interpret it. On person's mountain is someone else's hill. Oh, and sometimes you have to bring your own brush.