Early Days

I've finally gotten to the point where I'm counting the days until I leave--sort of... If asked when I am done with work at the restaurant, I'm on the bat with, "The last day in August." If asked when I'm planning to head West, I'll offer, "The 15 or 16 of September." If asked how long for the whole kit & caboodle, then, "About 7 weeks," is the reply. If you ask me how many days left though, I just sort of shrug my shoulders and state, "I'm not really counting." Not really. It's in the back of my mind somewhere, along with what there's left to do with getting my house ready for a property manager (ditching carpeting, tidying up some marred paint, replacing a ceiling tile or three), what there's left to do with my non-existent yard (liorope, hosta & assorted other green things put out), finding a great home for my pooch (there's been a lead or two, I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed) and the list continues. Then, there's all the stuff to think about post-trip; what I'm going to do, getting licensed to handle food & drink, where I'm going to live...these things too are rolling around my mind, though I'm less forthcoming with answers. I'm going with the stream on this one; most of my life I've spent counting and calculating, approximating (for better or worse) how to best use my time and money; while this is commendable and good practice, it's time for a different approach. I'm not sure what this new approach will be, but that's part of the excitement. These are the early days I remind myself. A friend of mine commented in her blog lately the merits of "Keeping calm and moving forward," she recently moved out west as well and remarked to her audience the power of this mantra. In the dawn of my upcoming day, this seems a sound mantra, along with clean underwear and stopping to smell the roses and something my boss says in German about man not being able to stand on one leg. It's still early, the maps not fully plotted, all's not yet settled and there's a ton more to do--but the end is in sight. Stay tuned for act II (or V or XI...)