The wisdom of the trees, part II

Oh, I have been absent a long while. Which is, I guess, partly due to the fact that a lot of big changes are brewing... And partly also, because life feels pretty much the same as always. But really, honestly, it is MOSTLY due to the fact that I have been escaping into the wizarding world of Harry Potter and have been more than happy to ignore all else for the duration. A month of magical adventures and adolescent angst as I read the whole series backtoback... hooowee-FUN STUFF! Sadly it came to an end last week- so while I'm in the thick of some serious withdrawl... I will try to get on the blogging bandwagon once again. Oh Harry Potter was good though. If you were like me and avoided reading them for whatever lame-o reason, get over it and go read them I say. SO good.

So... life... real life, where there is no apparating or invisibility cloaks or polyjuice potion, is hurtling towards me at a break-necking pace. I have pulled and yanked my second foot out of the good baltimore soil... I am leaving. My last day of work will be June 25th. And the beginnings of July will find me and Junebug heading west to Chicago... and from there, well, who knows. Many possibilities exist... Will I stay there for a while? Will I carry on a west-ward path to Montana for a few months? Will I head south to Florida? Or across the oceans altogether? And why you ask? Why right now, with a flailing economy, would I choose to give up a job (I love) and a steady income for the great unknown? Simply: it is time.

If you have followed this blog at all, you know how much I love this great city. Baltimore has grown me up I think- I have discovered what I love doing here, and have had the greatgood opportunity to learn it and do it. I have found many good people and beautiful places along the way. But, ultimately, it is not where I want to BE. And rather than simply stay here indefinitely just because, or wait for opportunities to magically appear in my lap (oh where ARE you dumbledore??), I'm going to go figure it out and make whatever happens next, happen.... write some proposals, look for opportunities back in Kenya or elsewhere, see what I can see. 

I am excited. I am ready for adventures and new (old?) ways of life. And I am ready to go find them and live life as fully as I can where ever it lands me. 

But also I'm ridiculously sad; the uprooting process is wretched. I have six more weeks to soak in all the goodness and quirkyness of this place and the people I have here: of the farmers market, of this house that is my home, of Clayworks, of being a short hour away from some of my dearest of friends... So the plan is to enjoy it, really enjoy it-- and live life as fully as I can right here, right now. 

Druid Hill Park and the fountain that sometimes goes.