The Faith in One Spot

So many people all over the world. So few in Gainesville. Somewhere...a violin stirs a sad melody for me.

No, no...I'm really not sad. I probably would be if it weren't for my job, though. The feeling of endless possibilities has never been more tangible for me. The opportunity for growth, the ability to explode into something so much bigger seems just around the corner. And with everyday, especially this week, that feeling grows more intense.

Equally intense is my desire for travel. To Europe. To China. To Japan. Even to Philly. Okay, really just to Europe, Rome in particular, but Vienna, Zurich, Berlin, Dublin, and Ischia wouldn't be too shabby either. My italian hasn't faded in recent weeks, despite being out of school, thanks to the awesome musical stylings of the Modena City Ramblers.

I still think about teaching and research. My last task at work, to write a wikipedia entry, was of course way more fun for me than most people, proving that I still have a research streak somewhere inside of me. Though, I would quickly admit that it wasn't anywhere near as fun as working with my band of interns or building fantasy offices in my head with Erica and Bec. (A slide? Perhaps. A trampoline? Definitely.)

So, I still have this feeling of a pact with time. I'm not sure I believe in it quite as strongly as I used to. I mean, when the earth is exploding and people are dying and everything seems to be collapsing quicker than expected, I'm all about the "do the best you can, but do it quickly" mindset. I don't want to wait to long before I'm back at the hotel Arenula or the Pantheon or San Ignazio or La Galleria Borghese...it's all just one earthquake, one cosmic sneeze, away from oblivion. And I want to enjoy before the universe catches the cold that does away with it all.

So, it's a weird, determined optimism I've got now. I still have faith in just staying put for now, like I've always had. Only now I'm not 16. Now I'm 22. And I'm trying not to speed things up.