I've been back in the Philly area since mid-March, and it's been really nice. The trip at the start of the month, covering Atlanta, Charlotte & Virginia was hectic, and more tiring than I thought it would be. Oh well.
So, spring time has emerged and being my first transition from cold winter to spring - it's exciting and spectacular. First, the rain came (and when it rains it pours here in the north-east) and washed away all the snow. It had been a good whiles since I had seen green grass near my place! Lately, the trees have just come into blossom - a few awesome reds, pinks and oranges popping out early, grabbing all the attention from the drab brown trees around them.
Fritz took me out to Rittenhouse Square on the first really warm and excellent night of the year. It happened to be a Friday night, and was the first time I had been to the fantastic square. The atmosphere was just electric: everyone was out, feeding off the new season's collective energy. Lauren and I went back to Rittenhouse Square on Sunday afternoon again - in beautiful weather, a million dogs and toddlers wandered around whilst the rest of us lazed, happily soaking up the sun.
March madness (college basketball end-of-season tournament) is on TV, and some of the games have been super brilliant. I've been working long days in the office, then coming home and watching basketball or watching DVDs on the off-nights. It's been nice slumping into a very comfortable, non-hectic routine.
Ned & Kate have been entertaining like crazy - which has been brilliant for reasons of: good food and drink at home, new people to meet all the time, general fun times and sitting outside on the backyard patio has been even better than expected. I didn't realise how much I missed hanging out outside until I started doing it again.
So, one more week in the office, preparing for more international, then domestic travel. On April 1st (hopefully no joke), I'm off to Paris...Airport. I'm shooting straight over to Krakow to do research for Travel for Teens' 'Eastern Europe' trip in the summer - and hopefully Easter won't make the research difficult. Back in Paris on Monday, I will be a counselor on a school trip before popping over to Bruges the next day (more research), then doing uninterrupted work with the Paris school group until we fly back to Philly on the 10th.
Should be good!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Lucky perspective
A few years ago, I met and made a dear friend who influenced me tremendously. In short, her influence was her clear demonstration of being grateful for all the great things in her life. Far from boasting, she simply stated that she'd been able to do travel so much, see great things, and had met such amazing people - she was lucky. If you met the girl, chances are you too would be caught up in her optimism and lust for life.
Anyway, I think I've been a much more grateful person since meeting this girl. Since then, when I stop and reflect I realise I'm lucky.
Perspective is so very pliable. Tiredness, excitement, personal drive and success, stress, amazement, love - there are so many factors that obviously influence our mood, but they also so often shift my perspective. I put my head down into something, eventually burn myself out, and then realise this fantastic thing that I'm doing - isn't fantastic at all.
So - here's why I've been lucky, lately:
I've met cool couchsurfers in Boston and Philly.
Relaxed at a dive bar in New Hampshire after a long day, gone in alone and made about 12 friends.
Hung out with a great girl in Boston which included seeing gorgeous frozen ponds and rivers, eating at excellent restaurants and having a generally great time. We even were able to met up in Philly and be tourists there too for a weekend - good food, awesome street art, and a way-better-than-expected Philly Flower Show.
Caught up with good mates in Atlanta and Charlotte - and having a good time with good friends is precious.
Made new friends in Brooklyn, and caught up with old great friends too...new music and new great stories...
New friends in Philly - and slowly I'm getting to know the city.
After a long drive from Philly to Atlanta, and even with a good night's sleep, the whole of this last week has been tough. I drove around and worked like a madman, and all the hectic activity finally caught up with me. Without the workload letting up, my perspective slowly, slowly distorted for the worst.
And then I had this one, seemingly meaningless night, that I found so much meaning, joy and refreshment from. I had a few good phonecalls, emails and internet 'chats' that week, but really hadn't socialised in-person with real people at all. And it all started out rather mundanely:
I pulled up at a steakhouse, the bar-tender fascinated me with his southern drawl, and after getting a beer and a steak, I started talking to the gentleman next to me. In his 60s i would guess, i found out he was a doctor, and after short familiarities, we talked in depth about his work (his long, long hours), the universal and never-ending doctor shortage, and his opinion of what reform is (and isn't) needed of health care in the USA. And that was it. Although that might appear mundane and a non-story, to me, it was...i edited out 'just what the doctor ordered'...but really, it was all such a blessing to me. It was general socialising coupled with a unique cultural figure in a unique cultural time and place, and then layer onto that it was an engaging, intelligent conversation, and added onto that, it was so relaxed. And probably quite imperatively - the guy was a nice guy. Really friendly and obviously a hard-working, caring doctor. So I was definitely lucky to have met him.
Anyway, I'm in Charlotte now, and enjoying doing absolutely nothing this weekend. I went to a diner for a late breakfast, and I watched my beloved Longhorns basketball team lose another game (me watching their games on tv is the curse), and generally, I've slumped around my hotel room and done nothing at all. It was a pretty looking day outside.
So the batteries are recharged and I'm again thankful for my situation.
I'm lucky.
Anyway, I think I've been a much more grateful person since meeting this girl. Since then, when I stop and reflect I realise I'm lucky.
Perspective is so very pliable. Tiredness, excitement, personal drive and success, stress, amazement, love - there are so many factors that obviously influence our mood, but they also so often shift my perspective. I put my head down into something, eventually burn myself out, and then realise this fantastic thing that I'm doing - isn't fantastic at all.
So - here's why I've been lucky, lately:
I've met cool couchsurfers in Boston and Philly.
Relaxed at a dive bar in New Hampshire after a long day, gone in alone and made about 12 friends.
Hung out with a great girl in Boston which included seeing gorgeous frozen ponds and rivers, eating at excellent restaurants and having a generally great time. We even were able to met up in Philly and be tourists there too for a weekend - good food, awesome street art, and a way-better-than-expected Philly Flower Show.
Caught up with good mates in Atlanta and Charlotte - and having a good time with good friends is precious.
Made new friends in Brooklyn, and caught up with old great friends too...new music and new great stories...
New friends in Philly - and slowly I'm getting to know the city.
After a long drive from Philly to Atlanta, and even with a good night's sleep, the whole of this last week has been tough. I drove around and worked like a madman, and all the hectic activity finally caught up with me. Without the workload letting up, my perspective slowly, slowly distorted for the worst.
And then I had this one, seemingly meaningless night, that I found so much meaning, joy and refreshment from. I had a few good phonecalls, emails and internet 'chats' that week, but really hadn't socialised in-person with real people at all. And it all started out rather mundanely:
I pulled up at a steakhouse, the bar-tender fascinated me with his southern drawl, and after getting a beer and a steak, I started talking to the gentleman next to me. In his 60s i would guess, i found out he was a doctor, and after short familiarities, we talked in depth about his work (his long, long hours), the universal and never-ending doctor shortage, and his opinion of what reform is (and isn't) needed of health care in the USA. And that was it. Although that might appear mundane and a non-story, to me, it was...i edited out 'just what the doctor ordered'...but really, it was all such a blessing to me. It was general socialising coupled with a unique cultural figure in a unique cultural time and place, and then layer onto that it was an engaging, intelligent conversation, and added onto that, it was so relaxed. And probably quite imperatively - the guy was a nice guy. Really friendly and obviously a hard-working, caring doctor. So I was definitely lucky to have met him.
Anyway, I'm in Charlotte now, and enjoying doing absolutely nothing this weekend. I went to a diner for a late breakfast, and I watched my beloved Longhorns basketball team lose another game (me watching their games on tv is the curse), and generally, I've slumped around my hotel room and done nothing at all. It was a pretty looking day outside.
So the batteries are recharged and I'm again thankful for my situation.
I'm lucky.
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